Through Dead Eyes
by Mafia Courtesan
Summary: Lucretia never completely died like she wished. Instead, she joined the legions of the undead and now she has to cope and live like one. She fears for the safety of everyone and everything around her.
1. A New Life

**Chapter 1:** A New Life

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

If there was one thing in my life that I'd regret in death was never saying goodbye to him properly. He meant the world to me and I left him to die. Even if he told me to run as far away as possible, I knew I couldn't do it. I broke down in tears only a block away from him. I could hear the horrid screaming and yelling but I ignored it all and sat there feeling sorry for myself. I cried so many lonely tears that my sight was beginning to blur. And if you lose one sense, others are heightened.

I could hear it coming closer, it's eyes staring me down. I knew it was cautious but I wanted it to come closer, so it could kill me and I could be with my Adam again. But it stayed as far away as possible, almost afraid to get closer. Was it a human thinking that I was one of them? If it was, why was it alone? But somewhere behind it I heard a distant sound that sounded like a million heart beats. A million dead heart beats to be exact. But I was wrong and oh so right. It turned out to be the quiet thunder of the running feet of the dead. I looked up just in time to see myself being attacked by a million biting mouths. I didn't scream and simply sat there. I was better off dead anyway. But the intense pressure of biting at my flesh did not compare to the way those eyes watched me. I could feel my heart rate slow and beginning to get numb. I knew I'd be reunited with him soon. As I was slowly passing, I could feel something picking me up and taking me somewhere. Was it somebody actually taking to burry me? Why did I deserve such kindness when I let someone I cared for die. I tried to get out of their arms but the grasp was tight and I couldn't move. My eyes were too heavy to catch an actual glimpse of who this was but their face was covered by a hood. I tried to say thank you but my tongue was too heavy. So I closed my eyes and passed.

I awoke in a bedroom. It was dark and I couldn't see a thing. Something about me was odd, like morning sickness or something so I ran to look for a bathroom in case it was. But it was just too dark to see. I felt my way around instead. My eyes burned slightly whenever I'd open them so I kept them closed. Plus I could feel my way around better when I wasn't constantly drawing my attention into the dark. But as I continued to feel my way around, I could hear low murmurs of people talking. I went to say something but my voice was a ghostly whisper. My throat was scratchy and my eyes burned. I had no idea where I was either. I then tripped on something and I tumbled to the floor. I whimpered slightly then I felt someone touching me. My eyes were still closed and I whispered quietly

"Hello?"

"She actually made it. Another one of us." I heard a deep rumbling voice say.

"She's in good shape too." Another added in. His voice was scratchy but still dark and mesmerizing. But the voice after was the darkest and most mysterious.

"I knew she would, but you two doubted. Now can you open your eyes, ms?"

"No" I answered as I felt my way around. I sat on something soft, which I figured was a couch. I relaxed on it and thought about some things. Where was I? and where was Adam? Why did I feel so horrible? I thought long and hard as the others talked. Who were these three men? I opened lightly to see a round man, I tall man and I recognized the one man by his hood. He was the one who brought me here. I also remembered that I needed to say thanks and I spoke but quietly

"Thanks for bringing me here. Where ever here is..."

"No problem." He answered.

"....Did you bring Adam too?" I asked, concerned about my boyfriend.

"Uh..." He said, trailing off.

"Who's Adam?" The scratchy voice asked

"The man she was with. The one who didn't make it." He answered.

"...pardon?" I asked suddenly, unsure of what I just heard

"He didn't make it." He repeated. I sat on the couch and let it sink in. My Adam didn't make it. I could feel my eyes watering slightly and I began to cry. The room went dead silent except for my sobbing. So it wasn't just a dream after all, he really was gone. I then heard the scratchy voice say irritatedly

"God, she better not be like Witch. Her sobbing is getting on my nerves already." I reacted so quick that I couldn't control myself. One moment, my eyes were opened and I could see everything and I ran faster than lightning. I was at first crying on the couch, the next, my hand grasped around this guys throat choking him. I felt so mad, so angry and this choking sensation felt so good. Someone was yelling at me to stop but I didn't want to, I simply couldn't. But then something big and strong forced me to let go by pulling me away. I rebelled and squirmed as it picked me up. I screamed a frightening shriek that came from stomach up as he held onto me. It sounded like nails on a chalk board but much, much higher. Being as small as I am, I turned around slightly and scratched this mans face with what seemed to be my own nails. He dropped me and backed away as fast as he could. The one man was recovering from the lack of air and the other held his face. The hooded one watched me, I could tell because I recognized that sensation of from earlier. I fell to the ground, exhausted from my sudden out burst and began to cry some more. I could hear that scratchy one wheeze and say

"What a...bitch."

"You deserved it Cornelius. Now are you alright?" He asked

"Does it look like I'm alright?" The heavier voice said

"Not you Dustin, her." He shot back as he knelt beside me

"I want him back..." I whispered between my fingers

"That isn't going to happen." Cornelius said. It only caused me to sob more. I shrieked this time and it was as cold and dead like my heart. Then somebody pulled me closer to them and held me close. They rested their chin and lips on my head and quietly said

"It'll be alright. You're safe and that's probably what he wanted for you." I cried and shrieked more and more. The scratchy voice yelled

"Shut up Alex! You're making it worse!"

"Go into the other room then!" He yelled back. I heard Cornelius grunt and walk away. The bigger one stayed and watched but wandered to the window. Alex rocked us back and forth and said

"Now, what's your name?"

"Lucretia." I answered

"Now Lucretia, what I'm about to tell you might not settle with you." He said in a calm voice.

"What is it?" I asked, curious now

"Well..." He said, letting go of me and walking over to the window beside his friend. My eyes couldn't really see them so I moved closer to get a better look. I opened them wide and the burning sensation stopped. I could see that he had sharp teeth and cat like claws. He hunched a little and his friend, well, he had something growing on him. I stared, horrified by what I saw. Something inside me told me to get up and run away as fast as I could, so I did. But I ran into Cornelius on my way up. I stared at that tall man whose tongue began to wrap around me. I was speechless yet so horrified. I backed up into the moonlight and looked at myself. I was a chalky gray color and my fingers were long and sharp. That sick feeling came back and I ran for the bathroom. Surprisingly, I found it fast. I slammed the door and headed for the toilet to get sick. So it was true, I was dead but not in the manner I thought I was. I was one of them. A zombie.


	2. Abilities

**Chapter 2:** Abilities

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

I sat on the bathroom floor, completely detached from reality. I was trying my hardest to forget what I just saw and heard. And I stayed away from the mirror, simply afraid of what I might see. I touched my long dark hair and moved my bangs out of my eyes. My eyes still burned though but my tears ceased it a little. I heard something walk to the door and I pushed my back up against it, not want anyone to come in. Too bad I was lighter than a feather and they pushed me out of the way like nothing. I was squished up behind the door and wall and I could barely answer the question of "are you in here?" It was Dustin and he didn't realize that I was behind the door. I gave a quiet shriek and he moved. I crawled next to him and said

"Yes, I am in here....go away..."

"Alex wants you" He said and turned away.

"Oh, alright..." I replied, not wanting to follow these demons into the dark. As I got up, I faced the mirror. Even though it was dark and I couldn't see well, I could see my eyes clearer than the moon at night. My once brown eyes were now a yellow-white color. My haunting eyes accompanied the new teeth I had too. They were sharp and demonic in a appearance. They sent chills down my spine and I began to get teary eyed. I heard them call for me and I came. I decided to accept who I was rather than fight it. But I couldn't accept that my Adam was gone, I'd never accept that.

As I walked to them, I wiped the grim tears away and waited for them to take notice that I was there. Alex was the first to see me and said

"Well, you definitely not an ordinary zombie. You're like us, special."

"S-special?" I asked with a stutter

"Yeah."

"...well....how are you guys special?" I asked, just a little interested.

"Well, Cornelius has his tongue, which ensnares humans. Dustin can vomit on humans and attract lesser zombies to kill them. He doesn't do it often though, and as for myself well, I can pounce on humans and claw their face away." He said with a small smile.

"Oh....well...I don't see how I'm special..." I said looking towards the window.

"Well, we're going to go find out. Come on, we're going." He said, taking me by the hand and heading towards the window. I didn't take note of it until I realized we were standing on the window ledge. I got cold feet and started to squirm. I freaked out as he put my arms around his neck and jumped. I shrieked so loud that it echoed throughout the night and Cornelius complained for me to shut up. We landed on the ground safely, all of us, and I looked up. We were ten stories high and we jumped that far? Thank God that we were dead, or else, I'd have a hear attack. I clung to him like a cat would do to a tree and he laughed. I was about to cry until Dustin told us to be quiet. A few seconds later, he spoke

"I hear a few humans...this way." And so we followed behind that larger man and kept our eyes open. I still couldn't see but then I noticed something moving up ahead. I was still on Alexs' back but I completely forgot as I jumped off of him and wtached this movement. They stared at me as I did and whispered

"Don't you guys see that? They're right there..."

"I can't see them." Cornelius said.

"I do..." I said and ran. I watched and heard the humans. They were talking about looking for food and a place to stay. The three were still behind me as I got closer and closer. Not only that, I was silent on my feet so I had the option of surprise attack or no attack at all. I chose surprise attack. I was just about close to on, a girl with blond hair next to a taller one. Then I felt something snake around my left wrist and I let out a haunting howl. It pierced their ears as they flew to the ground in pain and attempted to drown out the sound by covering their ears. Cornelius dragged me back from them as they recovered and started to fire about, attempting to kill me. A few moments later, lesser affected were drawn out and attacked them. We all watched and I growled. As blind as I was, I could still hear and smell all the gunfire and blood that was being spilled. Dustin laughed and said

"Well, that was close. You honestly could have been target practice for those people."

"You think that's funny?" I snapped back. My eyes getting watery. I really needed to control my emotions, especially feeling sorry for myself.

"Sorry, just saying." He replied, backing down.

"Well, now we know what you can do." Alex said, trying to make the best of it.

"...I can scream?" I said "I'm an effing banshee?"

"Apparently so." He replied smiling.

"Not only that, you have intense sight at far away distances."

"And not to mention speed." Cornelius added.

"So you're pretty special Lucretia." Alex said "I'm glad I saved you."

"But you have to control your emotions." Cornelius growled.

"I know..." I said. As we were walking, we noticed a large increase of bodies all over that place. They were demonic looking, yes, but they were still people who had died. something inside of me tightened as we wandered around this dead city. Then we began to hear gunshots off in the distance and we slowed down. We were still close enough to hear all the yelling and screaming. I could barely hear what was said but I'm sure someone yelled Francis. I had a Francis in my life once, my father. When I was four, he ran off with some whore and left me and my mother alone. It couldn't be him, could it? That was thirteen years ago and considering this outbreak, he must have been dead, right? I reconsidered when I took a look at the man off in the distance. I recognized those tattooed arms from my early childhood. I remembered how he hugged me the very last time before he never came back. I was about to scream dad but remembered the only difference between us: He was human and I was dead. I was going to cry again until I choked out

"I think that's my father."


	3. Some Mistakes Are Fatal

**Chapter 3: **Some Mistakes Are Fatal

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

I could see them fighting and yelling. I watched in silence as they fought to live, fought to protect each other, fought for everything that mattered. I mostly watched my father though and marveled at his strength and stubbornness. He was old and warn from the last time that I saw him. That was years ago, when there wasn't any walking undead. I gulped and began to walk forward. Then, as I was about to, something pulled me back. I looked up to find Cornelius glaring at me, he mouthed the words don't do it and I simply nodded. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't go. I'd put us all in danger just because I wanted to catch up with my long lost father. My eyes streamed silent tears but for a split second, something rushed passed us. I opened my eyes wider and caught a glimpse of something giant and gruesome. Alex pulled us back so we wouldn't get crushed. I flew to my knees and watched as this thing ran over to them. I shrieked but something covered my mouth. Behind I heard someone whisper

"Shh, keep quiet Lucretia. He's dangerous..." Alex held his hand against my mouth but the tears still flowed. I watched it as it started to throw other zombies out of the way just to get at them. I had a perfect view but I wanted to look away. I needed to. I sobbed and squirmed out of his grasp to try and reach them, to try and save them. I screamed to get its attention but it ignored me and continued. Instead, I caught the attention of them.

"To the right!" An older looking one yelled.

"Get out of the way Zoey!" Another one screamed to a girl who was busy shooting a zombie in the face. I stopped and realized what I was doing. An undead trying to protect the living. Just as I realized that, they shot at me. I looked to see who and it was Francis. I stared at him but all I saw was pure hatred. Did he not recognize me? Quite frankly, no he didn't considering that I was a zombie. He reloaded his shotgun and glared straight at me. Then he spoke

"This is for killing them." and shot at me again. I moved out of the way though, he missed me only by an inch. My eyes were getting teary and I growled. I growled in frustration, not because of what I was. He stared me down and I could hear the others catching up. Apparently he did too and screamed

"Hunter, Smoker and Boomer to the right! Not to mention this _thing_!" He yelled and I realized that I was the thing. That hurt deeply. No wound on my body hurt more than what he just said. I took notice that Alex was going to attack the female up until I saw that he was flung out of the way by that monster. Then something inside of me told me to attack the beast, and I did. I lunged for it's face and started to claw away it's eyes. It hissed and growled as I scratched with all my might. He let out a painful wail and everything silenced. Behind me I heard the humans conversing

"What the fuck is this?" My father yelled

"It's attacking it's own kind?" The girl asked, surprise hinted everywhere.

"Now's our chance, lets get going." The dark skinned one said. And they left, running away and shooting other zombies. Here i was, clawing at a monster ten times my size at least. Then I heard Dustin yell

"Lucretia, lets go. While it's weak." I jumped off just as he said that and followed quickly behind. The blind beast wailed behind us as we went our own ways. The sound died out quietly behind us as we wandered back to the apartment. Everything was quiet and dark out. I stayed close to Alex but I could tell no one was impressed by my actions. If I had a heart still, it would be beating like crazy. I kept my head down and I touched my dirty crimson plaid skirt. I touched one of the pleats and thought about the day when it first started. I was at my school with my best friends Tess and Rachelle. Adam had rushed by to get us and we couldn't understand why. It was lunch time so we figured that he was really hungry or something so we went. But something was different about him. He was never a man that was scared easily but this time, he had fear written all of his face. I went to touch him and he flinched away. I stared at him and asked him what was wrong. He told me that he saw things that never should be seen. I wondered right up until something crashed into us. It was a little fuzzy after that considering I took a little force to the head and that this was two weeks ago. I looked up to Alex and stared at him. A few seconds later, he looked down towards me. There was soemthing hidden behind those eyes but I couldn't tell. They were a little sad but loving too. I looked away. I promised myself that no matter what, Adam would always be the one for me, no matter what.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered quietly.

"Damn fucking straight you should be sorry." Cornelius said angrily "Now stop your crying. God you're irritating."

"I'm sorry!" I spoke louder. "I didn't mean to..."

"What's wrong?" Alex asked and put a hand around me. I began to cry more now. I wanted him back so badly that it hurt so much. I'd give everything just to have him back in my arms again. I flew to my knees for the billionth time today and sobbed. It tore me inside out remembering what he said and how he lost that brilliant sparkle in those blue eyes. Nobody had me like he did, nobody ever would either. A few minutes passed by and everyone stared at me. Then I heard Dustin say

"Lucretia, what's wrong? You cry more than Witch does...something bothering you?"

"He died for me and I ended up dieing anyway...his life was wasted and it was all because of me..." I sobbed.

"No it wasn't." Alex protested

"Yeah it was!" I spoke angrily

"You're here now aren't you? Your life wasn't wasted. And look at it this way, if you were still living, you couldn't have saved your father today."

"I-I guess..." I answered. He was right. If it wasn't for my powers, they would have all been dead. I shook my head though, still angry and wanted to protest. I stared at the ground and heard Cornelius say

"Speaking of which, you're little outburst almost cost us our lives."

"We aren't living." Dustin replied in a wise-ass tone. Cornelius growled and began to walk away. Dustin laughed and told him to slow down. That left Alex and I alone. I touched my white blouse and fiddled with the ruffles on the front. I heard him laugh and say

"You know, for being dead, you're pretty cute."

"Pardon?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Hah, you're adorable." He said, touching a dried out cut on my cheek. If I could blush, I would have. I pulled away though and stared at the sky. The moon shined brightly but there were no stars to accompany it. As I stared and walked, he took my hand in his. I didn't look at him though but he spoke quietly in that dark voice of his

"Lucretia, come here, I want to show you something." The next thing I knew, I was being dragged somewhere. He put me on his back then began to head somewhere secret, only known to him. I held onto him tightly and dreamed of Adam. He was the only one for me and I would keep it that way, no matter what. Nobody would change that.


	4. Alone Time

**Chapter 4: **Alone Time

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

The scenery was all blurry as it passed my eyes. I could see buildings forming into shrubs, shrubs into trees. I paid no attention really, I simply dreamed of him and only him. I wished that things could go back to normal but the hardest part of being a dreamer is knowing that most of your dreams won't come true. I sighed into Alexs' dirty worn sweatshirt and held onto him tightly. He then set me down and came back to reality. I looked around trying to figure out where we were. I walked forward but he pulled me back. I looked up at him as he said

"Hah, that wouldn't be a good idea dear. Watch your step." I looked down and realized we were at a cliff. I also remembered how much I was afraid of heights. I whimpered quietly and he laughed at my cowardness. He sat down then pulled me along. I was frozen with fear but he seemed so at ease and it made me question. The air was tense and cold in my dead lungs as I sat there. He simply swung his legs out and let them dangle there and I looked at him. He smiled and said

"What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid of heights" I whispered and looked down to my skirt

"Come on, don't be afraid, you're with me." he said proudly.

"I know...but still..." I replied, even more quiet

"Even if you fell, you wouldn't feel it." He said

"What do you mean?" I asked

"We're dead, we can't feel anything except for maybe when we deal out pain to each other. Other than that, we're pretty much invinsible."

"Really?"

"Yeah really." He said smiling

"I see...so that's why Dustin and Cornelius hurt after I attacked them?" I asked

"Exactly" He said touching my back. I sighed and touched the grass. It felt so dead and wet under my fingertips. I looked around and found myself staring at the moon. It was so big and crescent shaped right now. It only gave light to a certain part of the forest. As I sat there, I thought back to when Adam and I came to a place like this one time. It was during the day though so it wasn't anywhere as beautiful now. I swallowed a hard lump in my throat as I touched the small gold chain around my neck. I trailed down the cold piece of jewelry to the end where it hung down. The heart shaped pendant was still there and I was thankful for that. It was the only piece of him that I still had to remember him by. I was just about to cry when I heard Alex speak quietly

"I remember that night..."

"what night?" I asked quietly

"When I became this thing..." he answered and stared at the abyss below.

"...what happened?" I asked but instantly regretted it because he tensed.

"I...I was trying to save someone...but they got to her first...then me..." He replied.

"Well...atleast you didn't let them just have you..." I said, trying to make him feel better but he fell silent. It must have really bothered him because it went silent for ten minutes straight. I looked around and then stared at my feet. I seemed to be missing a shoe so I decided to take the other one off. I pried it off my cold, dead feet and I was in my socks now. I held my black heel and stared at it. The next thing I knew, I threw it right off the cliff. I watched it go sailing down and next to me, I heard him laugh slightly. I looked at him and questioned it

"Are you laughing at me?"

"No, just laughing at something else."

"and that is?" I pried on

"You just remind me of her..." He answered quieter now

"Oh...the girl you couldn't save?" i asked

"yes, my love..." He responded and got up. I looked up at him but he held out his hand for me. I took it and stood next to him. I was five-four and he was so much taller than me. He seemed to be six foot something and I had to stare up at him. i then realized something and asked

"Why did the humans call you Hunter? and everyone else those dinky nick names?"

"Because, we can't talk to them like me and you can. We can understand them but to them, we just make weird noises. They don't know our actual names so they just gave us those 'dinky nicknames.'" He said smiling.

"Oh...so what am I?" I asked.

"Well, to them, you'd probably be a Banshee or something because you shriek like one." He replied and laughed coolly

"Oh...nice. Exactly what I wanted to known for, my screaming." I said sarcastically. He laughed put me on his back again. i held onto him tightly and nuzzled my face into the back of his neck. Even though I didn't have a heart, I felt oddly sorry for him. How would it feel to let the person you loved down? To not be able to save them? I bet worse than not being saved. i sighed and closed my eyes. I held onto him and fell into a distant sleep as the wind flew passed my ears.


	5. Running and Learning

**Chapter 5:** Running and Learning

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

As soon as my eyes closed, I awoke. I sat straight up and found that there was light coming through the torn curtains. The door was shut and I couldn't hear anything besides screams and gunshots coming from the outside world. I looked back down but it was blurry. It was absolutely no use for my eyes up close. I sighed lightly and decided to go find the others so I got up but stumbled towards the door. i wasn't used to being dead and not having the daily needs of eating and such. I walked slowly through the hallway and almost tripped on my own feet. I wasn't very graceful in life and certainly not death, if anything I was worse. As I regained my stability, I found myself looking at Cornelius, Dustin and Alex, who seemed to be staring at me, as far as I could tell that is. It was sort of silent up until Alex spoke.

"Lucretia, we need to talk."

"About what?" I questioned quietly.

"They're going to bomb the city." He responded seriously. I stared at him, unsure of what I just heard. I looked towards the other two but I couldn't tell what they were thinking. I cleared my throat and asked

"Well, what are we going to do?"

"Navigate our way out of the city, of course." Cornelius responded in that irritated tone.

"The city is huge though, not only that, most of the short cuts are blocked." I heard Dustin throw in.

"Well, we better get moving then, shouldn't we?" Cornelius hissed back.

"We must also keep a look out for that Tank Lucretia messed with last night. And the survivors as well." Alex said as he made his way towards the door. I sighed lightly and followed closely behind him. I could hear many different sounds as we made it out the doorway. For instance, I could hear Dustin and Cornelius argue about the quicker route. The soft sounds of gunshots in the distance and other infected running around in the streets. I had to admit, I never thought anything like this would ever happen. Well, maybe once, just once. I closed my already blind eyes and thought back to it. I remember zoning out in History class as my teacher Mr. Brown went on about World War and two and what would have happened if any of those succeeded. The world would go into complete chaos and horror. Then i thought, "What about a zombie outbreak?" I chuckled at that thought now. I would have never have guessed that I would have joined the legions of the walking dead and still be sane. I looked towards Alex and stared at him for a few moments until he gave in and questioned. Like a cat and a string, he took the bait and questioned

"What's wrong Lucretia?"

"Oh, I was thinking, why did I become a "Special infected" How come I never became like one of them?" and I pointed to one of the other infected who seemed to be crouched in the corner. He stared at it as we walked by and as soon as he looked forward, he replied

"Quite simple actually. As you know, this originated as a common flu-virus and infected almost ninety percent of the human population."

"Oh great, it's like being in Science class..." i heard Cornelius sarcastically say but only shushed by an eager Dustin. I stayed silent and let him continue

"Well, that first strain caused that ninety percent to lose their mind almost completely but keep their organs and body functioning for some reason. Later on, that last ten percent divided into the survivors and what we are today."

"So you're saying there was another strain?" I questioned

"Well, I guess you can say that. More or less, it was transferred almost completely different than it should have been. Coughing or breathing on a normal person when you had the sickness would have turned you into a lesser infected. Now if you recall, we were all bitten by one." he smiled and looked at me. i looked at him and thought back to that night. I did kinda remember feel something bite into me and I decided to look. I looked to my skirt and lifted it up to reveal my right thigh and found a mouth shaped imprint. I stared at it as we continued to walked and looked a little gimp. I heard Dustin laugh slightly and I looked towards them. He revealed his wrist to me and I saw the same markings. On Dustin, it was around his tummy area and Cornelius didn't want to show anything and insisted that we continue to walk. I sighed, I guess he was right. i didn't want to be blown up because of something so silly. But something drew me out of my thoughts, all of us actually. We stopped suddenly as we heard large planes flying above us and slow down over a certain area behind us. We stopped and watched as they flew behind us and began dropping something. This city was huge but it wouldn't take long before everything went to hell. We had the night before everything would be in ruins and chaos. I looked towards Alex for guidance and he looked towards me. I honestly couldn't tell what he was thinking but he grabbed my hand. I thought he smiled, and I was sure of it, and we began to walk more. If I still had a beating heart, it would be beating a million times a second only because of Alex holding my hand and fearing for our safety. I sighed, I only hoped we'd get out of the city in time. I only hoped.

_Side note: Sorry for not publishing for this story, I've just been so obsessed with Dragon Ages and Left 4 Dead 2 xD_

_and sorry it's so short Dx_


	6. Questions And Answers

**Chapter 6:** Questions and Answers

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

We had walked for at least an hour and half now but we got pretty far from our starting point. As we walked, I noticed the fires and more corpses on the ground. I stayed closer to Alex and wondered if we would be heading into the survivors again. I shuttered at that thought and touched my necklace in hopes it would calm my nerves. It did only a little soothing and I swallowed a hard lump in my throat. As always, my thoughts drifted back to Adam and the happy times we once shared. Then to the night when he was taken from me. I looked to Alex and realized that feeling sorry for myself wasn't going to get us anywhere. Everyone had lost someone but they managed to keep it together so why couldn't I? I turned my attention to Cornelius and Dustin who seemed to be quite occupied in their own thoughts. To stray away from mine, I sparked a conversation

"So, Dustin, what was your life like before all of this?"

"Oh, pretty good actually. You wouldn't believe that I was an athlete before all of this." He responded in that hearty tone of his

"Really?" I questioned and looked at him slightly.

"Yeah. the infection caused the size increase." He said quieter now but topped with a smile.

"I see. And what about you Cornelius, what about your life?" I asked

"Nothing I want you to know." He responded with irritation

"Oh, come on. It's not like we're gonna tell anybody else." I said trying to make it easier on him. He was like a stubborn rock that wasn't going to budge. I could feel his intense glare at the back of my head so I needed to say something else. I cleared my throat and offered

"I could tell you about my life."

"That would be nice." I heard Alex say

"Well. As you know, my father is Francis and my mother is Paige. I'm an only child because my father left me at a young age. Um...I've lived here my whole life but I was born in Canada."

"So you're Canadian?" Dustin responded

"Yup, born Canadian raised American." I responded proudly

"I see...that's actually pretty cool" Dustin said and it sounded as if he would ponder about it. I looked towards Alex and he smiled at me. I smiled back and asked

"What about you Alex? Anything we should know?"

"Alex is a rich boy from a rich family." Cornelius shot at me. It caused everyone to go silent. It got pretty awkward too. Alex fell extremely silent and Cornelius continued

"I've known Alex all of my life. He got whatever he wished for when he was younger and still did up until the infection."

"There's nothing wrong with that." I responded back, trying to make it easier on Alex.

"That's what you think." He scoffed and was about to continue but Alex interrupted

"That's enough Cornelius." I looked to Alex and saw that he wasn't smiling. His eyebrows were knit together indicating that he was deep in thought. He still held my hand and tightened his grip but loosened only a few minutes later. As we walked further, more and more bodies piled up. Then we could hear them as they yelled and shot. We didn't want the same mistake to happen so we went the other way around. I was sure it was father considering all the curses that I could hear coming from that direction. I silently prayed for his safety as we continued. I looked up towards the sky and saw that the sun was almost at it's highest point. We weren't even close to being out of the city and they were going to destroy it at midnight. I took in a deep breath and continued along side everyone. I did wonder about Alex and what Cornelius said. what did he mean by "That's what you think?" I didn't look at him. I didn't want to surrender my thoughts to him. So I thought about my Adam again. I lowered my eyes and continued our long journey in silence. It was for the best I suppose.

_Side Note: Sorry it's so short :/_


	7. Kisses Never Hurt Anyone

**Chapter 7:** Kisses Never Hurt Anyone

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

We needed to find a safe zone from the humans so we wouldn't hurt them and they wouldn't hurt us. Apparently, Alex's house was along the way so we could stop there for a bit. Only for a bit though. They city was going to go into complete and utter chaos tonight and we had no time to waste. As I held Alex's hand, we wandered down the street. I kicked a rock with my sock covered feet and looked at it. alex was still crazy quiet along with everyone else. I sighed lightly and questioned

"Are we almost there Alex?"

"Almost, just a little further up the street." He responded bluntly. I didn't look at him though and tried hard to ask what was wrong. But he was right, we came to a rather large, fancy white house. My house was a small apartment that I shared with my mother. I awed at it's bigness and he let go of my hand. the sudden coldness took me by surprise and clasped my hands together to get the warmth back. But it wasn't the same warmth that was there and it made me slightly sad. I watched in silence as he searched for the key and found it in the mailbox. Within moments, he unlocked the door and we all piled in. Dustin moved out of the way for us and Cornelius stood in the doorway. I took my place beside Alex and all he had to say was

"Make yourself at home." We all said sure and began to walk around. Cornelius stayed away from me and Dustin sat on the couch. This was very different from the apartment we were at earlier and I felt unsure about this. Especially without Alex here. I walked around and decided to look at some things. I noticed some of the pictures on the walls and saw one that sparked my interest. It was of Alex and his father. They looked fairly happy together but his father looked so, sophisticated and he looked so childish. So that's what he looked like without his hood up. His dark hair against his pale skin made him look slightly like his father but younger. I figured his mother took the picture so that's why I didn't see her. I then turned my attention to some more pictures. I walked down the hallway and stared at all of the pictures and took note of how it started where he was younger all the way to now. Each with that silly smile. I smiled and noticed his green eyes. I stared at them and smiled back by myself. I then heard from behind me

"Staring at my pictures, huh?"

"Oh, sorry..." I said and lowered my eyes.

"No, it's quite alright." He said and laughed. I noticed him holding something in his hands. I looked at it and so did he and said

"It's a map to help us out of the city."

"Oh, that's sounds wonderful!" I said happily and looked at him. He smiled exactly like in his pictures but with more teeth. I then replied quietly

"We better get going, don't want to be in the city when everything goes to hell."

"About that. It turns out that they wont be dropping the bombs until tomorrow night so we can rest here for the night."

"Really?" I asked "That sounds good. I didn't want to walk anymore. I was getting pretty tired..."

"Well, we should go to bed then." He said but then he looked puzzled. I stared at him, confused myself, and questioned him

"What's wrong?"

"Well, we only have two bedrooms. I know Dustin will probably want to sleep on the couch and Cornelius will get the other room. I have my own but there is nowhere for you to sleep."

"Well...I could always sleep on the floor?" i offered. He looked at me and said

"That wouldn't be kind, now would it? I'll let you stay in my room and I'll sleep on the floor." He smiled and took me by the hand to lead the way to his room. i held my breath as we wandered into his room. The first thing I noticed was the guitar lying there and paper thrown about. I fiddled with the button on my blouse and looked down to my feet. This made me think back to the first time that I was in Adams room. I missed those old days. I noticed that Alex was looking for something and pulled out a pink thing and something that looked like jeans. He walked over to me and said

"Well, if you want to change, here are some clothes. My mothers clothes wouldn't fit you considering how small you are so I figured my former loves clothes might fit..." He looked at me with a small smile and offered them to me. I took them into my hands and I could smell the vanilla on them. I then whispered

"Thank you..."

"It's no problem at all." He said happily.

"No, it is a problem." I responded quite quickly. I looked him in the eyes and I could see the confusion. I then needed to back up my statement

"It's just...you're always helping me, and I'm always causing trouble....I'm no real help and you're always looking out for me...I'm sorry I'm such a bother...." I mumbled half of those words and I lowered my eyes. I was on the verge of tears and all I heard him do was laugh. He simply laughed at me. I looked up at him and he looked down to me. I stared at him and he stared at me. We held eyes for a few minutes like this.

The next thing I did was plant my cold, dead lips to his. He fell silent and I continued. His lips were soft and inviting with a hint of unsureness on them. They tasted of sweet death and cinnamon. He touched my cheek lightly with his hand and began to trail it to my stomach. I honestly had no idea what I was doing but I did it anyway but as soon as it happened, it ended with me whispering thank you and running for the bathroom to change.

I slammed the door and put my back against it. I slid down it and listened for my pounding heart. It disappointed me slightly to hear nothing. i almost started to cry again but decided to change instead. I slid out of my red skirt and once white blouse and put the pink tank top on the skinny jeans on. There wasn't any light to turn on so I could look at myself but I honestly didn't care. I took in a deep breath and reached for the door knob. I held it tightly and stood in silence. I didn't want to go back out there and face Alex, not after what I did. I closed my eyes and and listened. Then, there was a knock at the door. I stared at the door and heard it again. I took in another breath and answered

"H-hello?"

"Lucretia, can you come with me for a second?" It was Alex

"Um...s-sure" I responded and opened the door to find a smiling Alex. Once again, he took me to his room and shut the door behind him.

I stood there, awkwardly that is, and awaited for him to speak. He looked at me and said

"About that kiss..." I held my breath and let him continue "What was that about?"

"I...wanted to say thank you...in my own little way..."

"Well, i thank you for that." He said and touched my cheek. i smiled and looked towards the bed. I yawned lightly and saw that it was getting dark. I trudged towards the bed and fell upon it almost instantly. I cuddled the pillow and saw Alex sit down and lean against his bed. I couldn't see his face but I was sure that he closed his eyes. I instantly felt bad when I realized that I was taking all of his bed. I sat up and said

"If you'd like, we can share the bed..."

"Are you sure about this?" He said as he turned his head to look at me "I can sleep on the ground, don't worry about it"

"When you say that, you know you're gonna make me worry..."

"Alright alright, I'll come up." He said with a smile. I scooted over for him so he would have room. I turned to my side so I'd have my back facing him. I closed my eyes and heard nothing. No signs of breathing, no heart beat, even the outside was silent. I just about fell asleep when I heard him say

"Lucretia, I have to be quite honest with you..."

"And why is that?" I said sleepily

"You're adorable when you're tired." He responded with a laugh. I was too tired to care and let him laugh. The next thing I knew, he put his arm around me and pulled me close. My eyes opened widly and they burned slightly. He held me closely, and protectively, and nuzzled my neck. I heard him whisper

"And you look really pretty in that..."

"Thank you..." I whispered. I felt him smile on the back of my neck. Through my sleepiness, I said

"I'm glad you saved me..."

"I'm glad I saved you too." He replied quietly. It wasn't awkward like all those other times and I was thankful for that. Within moments, I fell asleep.

I awoke to harsh, rapid knocking on the door and someone rushing in. I looked up to find Cornelius standing there then Dustin joining him. Cornelius seemed angrier than usual and Dustin was worried. Alex sat up and so did I, then he questioned the intrusion.

"What's wrong?"

"There are humans. They know we're here, we have to go." Dustin said worriedly.

"Well then, we'll have to go." Alex said and hopped off the bed. I joined him and we ran out of the house and down the street. Hopefully the humans wouldn't find us. I took Alex's hand in mine and I heard Cornelius growl under his breath. What was wrong with him? But that didn't matter right now, we just needed to get out of here.

_Side Note: A long chapter!! w00t! i have to thank my friend for helping me with these. She inspired me and I thank her very much!! The next few chapters will also be her doing as well so thank her for my sudden interest in my story again!! :D Thank you Jessica =D_


	8. Living A Nightmare

**Chapter 8:** Living A Nightmare

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

Holding his hand in the moonlight would have been romantic if it wasn't for the fact that we were running away from humans because we were zombies. We entwined our fingers together and we squeezed eachother slightly. I could hear the gunshots firing behind us and other unholy sounds. We were heading into the small forest to try and elude them but they seemed to be following us quite well. It must have been the military considering the fact that they were on our tails quite well and they were chasing us. What right-minded human would chase a special infected? They were supposed to be terrified of us and runaway. Here we were, running for our undead lives. I was too drawn into my thoughts and forgot to watch my step. I tripped on my own to feet and let out a little yelp. Before I hit the ground, Cornelius caught me with his tongue and held me up by my waist. I turned my head to his direction and he glared at me. I nodded a thank you to him and he let go of me and said

"Watch your step, I don't want you to be the downfall of us."

"God Cornelius, what crawled up your ass?" Alex shot at him.

"Do you want the honest truth?" He responded just as angry

"Damn straight I do. I'm so sick and tired of your constant attitude!" He growled in response.

"You've been acting so different every time you're in Lucretias presence!"

"Oh, I'm acting different?" Alex said and turned around to face him. "You're a fucking dick!"

"Whoa guys, calm down." Dustin tried to reason but only to be yelled at as well but by both. I let go of Alexs hand and stood beside Dustin and simply stared at the two. We stood by a rather large tree but the moon glistened its milky rays onto them. Alex was shorter than Cornelius by a lot but just as deadly. I feared for our safety because we hadn't exactly gotten away yet and if this escalated, it would be bad. I prayed with my all that it wouldn't as I watched and listened.

"You're always putting on a big show for her." Cornelius responded

"Oh, atleast I try to be nice to her unlike you." He spat back and they both got into each others faces.

"You always get what you want Alex. You always have and always will." He growled out

"So that's what this is about?" Alex responded "You're just jealous because Lucretia talks to me more than you. Just so you know Cornelius, I wouldn't want to talk to you either if you were a dick to me."

"And you wonder why Lizzie talked to me more than you." Cornelius stated back and then it went silent. Alex tensed and glared at him and Cornelius just stared at him. I could sense that there was a line that was just crossed. It was confirmed when Alex spoke

"You take that back."

"She was unhappy with you Alex. You were so spoiled and hung up on yourself and forgot to spend time with her." He urged on and Alex seemed to be getting angrier but he continued anyway.

"You let her die Alex. You were there but you let her die." He hissed. It happened all too fast for me to take it all in. I heard Alex growl and saw him crouch. The next thing I knew, he had knocked Cornelius over and began to claw away at him. He was blind with rage and just continued to attack Cornelius who squirmed to get away. Dustin knocked over Alex to help Cornelius and I bent over to pick Cornelius up. I tried to keep him away from Alex but he ensnared him with his tongue and began to strangle him. I gasped and tried to pull Cornelius away but he seemed to have his mind set on choking Alex. I tried will all of my might but Cornelius just pushed me to the ground. Then something grabbed all of our intentions. The piercing sound of the gunshot cut through all of the growling and noises, it even pierced through his tongue and set Alex free. Something was shooting at us.

We turned our heads to see the light coming from the military men. We stared at them and they began to shoot at us more. We all scattered and ran different places to try and hide. We heard them scream in their human language to split up and find each of us. I ran as fast as I could but something stopped me in my tracks. The ground began to shake and I heard a deep, wailing sound come from somewhere. The military men turned around and began to fire at something large and unwelcoming. In one sweep, it knocked all of them out of the way and to their feet. i fell to my knees and found myself staring at the large creature from yesterday. I recognized the scars on it's face from my long fingers and it growled at me. The next thing I knew, it picked me up by the waist with it's giant hand and began to take me away deep into the forest. I listened to gunshots come from all different directions and heard Alexs screams and wails. Not only that, I also heard Dustins and Cornelius's too. More screams and gunshots penetrated the cold, midnight air a few minutes later as this thing took me somewhere. then it went deathly silent as It slowly sunk in that they had been shot and I was alone now. My dead heart had been crushed once more and I could feel the tears growing and consuming my eyes. I took in a deep breath and wailed and squirmed, trying my hardest to make this thing let go of me. My deafening screams now echoed and pierced the night, just as the gunshots did just moments before. But it didn't matter, not one bit. I was alone now, I once again lost what mattered. But this time, no one will be able to save me. I fell dead in the Tanks grasp and let it take me away. I closed looked up into the night sky and found myself staring at the moon. i prayed with all of my broken heart that they were somewhere better now. They deserved it.


	9. The Unexpected

**Chapter 9:** The Unexpected

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

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**Side Note:** The song used in this chapter was "My Skin" by Natalie Merchant. I'd put a link in here but I don't think it will work. sorry! But yes, enjoy and listen to the song. thanks for reading.

**P.S:** Do you think you could tell me what you think of this story? Review it? I don't really care if it's a good or bad review, just tell me what you think and if there is something you don't like, I'll try my best to correct it. Thanks :]

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I opened my eyes as far as they could go without burning and i looked around. I didn't realize that I had fallen asleep but apparently I had. i turned over slightly and noticed a girl sobbing in the corner. She was faded and had fair hair, she appeared skinny and hurting. She sobbed and sobbed and I listened to her. I honestly didn't care though. I watched her, and listened to her, but I didn't care though. Then suddenly, she stopped and turned to face me. We held eye contact for about five minutes then her face turned cruel and she hissed at me

"Stop staring!"

"I can't help it. Your sobbing is rather irritating." I responded bluntly.

"Well then stop listening!" She yelled and then turned her body to face me.

"It's pretty loud too." I added in. Quite frankly, I didn't care if I was making her angry or not. She growled at me then she said

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" Then she wailed as she pulled her deformed fingers to her ears and sobbed louder and longer. I watched her and listened to her as she put on this show. What had caused this girl to do such acts? I rolled onto my side and just stared at the ground. I tried blocking her out but I couldn't. She was simply too loud for this quiet area. I flashed my golden eyes to the ground and i began to whisper

"Take a look at my body, look at my hands...there's so much here that I don't understand..." It fell silent for a few moments, even her sad sobs died out. Her hands fell to her side, but her head still hung there. I looked to her and then she looked to me. Her eyes looked straight into mine and then she quietly said

"Sing more please..." I didn't understand at first but I did as told. It took me a few moments to remember the other words but I soon did

"I'm the slow dying flower, in the frost killing hour. Sweet turning sour and untouchable. Oh, I need the darkness, the sweetness, the sadness, the weakness...Oh, I need this. I need a lullaby, a kiss good night..."

"That song..." She began and she turned her head "I remember singing it in choir..."

"Choir?" I echoed "I learned it there too..." We sat in silence for about ten minutes after that. Through her sobs, she quietly said

"I never really liked that song but if it makes me think of my old life, then it'll make me feel better..."

"It has always had this power over me. It had always made me feel better when I was sad..." i said to her. She then spoke something quietly

"Oh, I'm leaving, you better shut your mouth and hold your breath and kiss me now and catch your death. Oh, I need this...oh, I need this"

"That part though, I don't know..."I said quietly. She looked up and growled slightly. Once again, I didn't really care what she thought, i was simply speaking the truth. Then she astonished me with her next statement

"Are you Lucretia Gray?"

"It might be." I responded quietly. She then began to sob again. I had no idea why my name would make her cry but then I realized something, she looked slightly like Juliet Myer, one of Adams friends. I stared at her and thought of reasons why she was crying. she must have been in some sort of pain, but what? I voiced my thoughts

"You're Juliet, right?"

"Y-yes." she sobbed back

"May I ask what's wrong?"

"No you may not!" she suddenly screamed. Juliet was a girl who thought highly of herself, especially when it came to singing. She had many friends and she was popular, not to mention beautiful. Her family cared about her and gave her her every wish. Now her she was, lonely and crying. I decided that she was going to tell me what was wrong, even if I was gonna be here for the rest of my undead life.

"Come on Juliet, what's wrong?"

"I can't tell you!" She wailed on again and put her face in her hands.

"Please Juliet. No one will know but me. I might even be the last person you can talk to." I responded and that only caused her to yell more. This went on for the next ten minutes. Her screaming and myself asking over and over again. She still wouldn't give me an answer as to why she wouldn't tell me, or what was wrong. But I continued anyway

"Juliet, it couldn't possibly be as bad as what I went through."

"W-what do you mean?" The broken girl asked

"I lost the two most important people in my life in just two days...I learned my father is still alive but nears death everyday. All of my friends are dead."

"That is pretty bad..." She said quietly

"But you know what I learned?" I offered

"W-what?" she questioned and looked at me

"That someone out in this dead world has it worse that you, no matter what. You can't feel sorry for yourself..."

"I guess you're right..." She spoke in that same low voice.

"Now please, share your problems with me. I'm all ears..." I responded calmly

"It's just...I know you were _his_ girlfriend..." She hissed at that one word and it confused me

"Do you mean Adam?" I questioned

"Yes..." she growled. "His..."

"What about him?" I spoke a little louder now, wondering what she meant

"We were...doing stuff behind your back..." she said rather bluntly, but slowly. I paused, Juliet and Adam were together behind my back? I loved Adam with my all, but he didn't? So that's where he was almost all the week, with her. I was lost in thought when I heard her speak

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"Don't speak." I said quietly.

"I'm sorry!" She cried but she only got me angry with doing the opposite of what I said

"Don't you even start crying! All you do is think about yourself!"

"I do not!" She screamed back. i sat up so fast and moved to her that she didn't even have time to think. I looked at her, and she looked at me as i held her by the wrist. She cried out into the night and then the ground began to shake again. I then found myself staring at the large being bellowing at me. I loosened my grip on her wrist and she scooted towards the tank which seemed to be protecting her. She sobbed and it glared at me as I stared up towards it. I then put it together, he was Adam. The tears welled in my eyes and I whispered

"Adam...is that you?" It made a grunt sort of response and scooped the frail girl into one of it's arms. I stared at it, and he stared at me. The next thing he did was crash through the wall and began to runaway somewhere. so Adam didn't die, he became one of us. Juliet as well. It was still fairly dark outside so it must have been around two am or so. I then wondered why he brought me here, what was the point? if it wasn't for him, I would have become apart of the Military's prey. He rescued me for the last time and brought me somewhere safe. I looked around to find myself in a house out in the middle of nowhere. I was lonelier than ever and there was no Alex or Adam to comfort me. But I remembered what I told Juliet, there was always someone who had it worse than I did. But it didn't stop the tears from forming and flowing. I took in a deep breath and began to walk somewhere, anywhere. I hoped that I'd run into the military to end this sadness that I had hoped and wished for three days ago. So many thoughts had overwhelmed my mind that I zoned out as I walked. I began to dream of Alex and how much I wished for him. It was best to get over Adam and just stop thinking about him all together. He had Juliet now and didn't need me. It was quite obvious from what he just performed. As I walked, I cried. I cried so many tears but I whispered a part of that song.

"Do you remember the way that you touched me before? All the trembling sweetness I loved and adored...your face saying promised whispered like prayers...I don't need them..."

The odd part was, it didn't make me feel better like it should have. I don't think it ever would after this. I sighed and just let the tears flow. I let my mind go blank as I walked, it was probably for the best.


	10. Past Secrets

**Chapter 10:** Past Secrets

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

I walked and walked and walked for what seemed like hours upon end. It was still dark out though, so it must have been around four am or so. I finally began to come back to reality and once I did, I tripped on my own two feet. I fell forward and landed with a rather large crashing noise. I didn't get up and just lay there, wanting and wishing for death. The forest made no noises like it normally would. Instead, it was silent and gloomy. I shut my eyes and slowly drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

I opened my eyes almost instantly when I heard the bushes move. It was beginning to get light out and I could kinda see my surroundings. I squinted my eyes to try and see what was there but I couldn't see anything due to my blindness. I sat up slightly to try and look out for what was there but still, there was nothing. I then decided to question this presence

"Hello?"

Nothing responded and the silence mocked me. It was nothing I decided a few minutes later, no one or anything was in the bushes. Just my mind playing tricks on me was all. I sighed and decided to lie back down again and if it was something, it was free to come and get me if it wished. I closed my eyes for a few minutes into a felt as if I was being watched. I tried to push it off as nothing but it stayed there. As I opened my eyes, there was something tall standing over me and I jumped at this figure. It was silent but it watched me, and I watched it. Then it spoke

"So it didn't kill you? Hm, that's a shame."

"What do you want Cornelius?" I hissed at him

"I could smell that vanilla on you and I thought you might have been with Dustin and Alex so I tracked it."

"Does it look like I'm with them?" I growled.

"Jesus, what's wrong with you?" He questioned

"It's none of your business." I stated bluntly and got up to walk away from him. I was a little wobbly and slow from sitting on the ground so long but i managed to get ten feet away. He stopped me and pulled me back with his tongue. He wrapped it around my waist and pulled me back almost instantly. I fell back and landed on my butt as he dragged me there. I didn't squirm but instead gave him the cold shoulder as he tried to talk to me.

"Lucretia, goddammit, talk to me!"

"Why should I? You've always been a dick to me." i responded

"Look, I'm sorry." He said

"What was that? Did you say sorry? It must be the end of the world." I said sarcastically

"Well, they're gonna blow up the city and we're still not out of it so if you don't want it to be the end of your world, I suggest we get going."

"I'm not going anywhere with you." I growled

"Come on, we have to go and find Dustin and Alex."

"i'd rather rot alone than spend a minute with you."

"I know we had a rough start and I'm honestly sorry. Just please, come with me." He pleaded. Then it occured to me, why was he being so nice all of a sudden? It fell silent and I sat there trying to piece it all together. He stayed silent just as I did, but I spoke first

"Cornelius, what's with the sudden change of heart?" I awaited for a responce but all he did was let go of me. As soon as he did, i got up to face him. I was very short compared to him but I watched him nonetheless. I stared at him but he just looked away, as if he were hiding something. I was about to question him again but he answered

"It's just...I felt bad for treating you the way I did."

"and why exactly did you treat me like that?" I questioned

"You just reminded me a little too much of someone that I despise..." He answered honestly.

"Oh, and how exactly do I?" I asked and he flashed me a glance. I stared at him, keeping my posture and stance, and awaited his answer. He looked me in the eye for a split second then looked towards the ground again. It went silent as if he were searching for the right words. Then he began

"It's just everything about you. The way you talk, the way you act, your laugh, even your smile and the sparkle in your eyes remind me of a girl I loved with all of my heart a long time ago..." i stayed silent for him to continue

"I loved her and she crushed me. She was my everything and i meant nothing to her. she only played with my emotions then crushed me. I let it all happen too..."

"I'm sorry that I do..." I said quietly "I honestly don't mean to hurt you..."

"When i first saw you, I didn't want Alex to let you stay with us because I thought you were her. That's how much you ressemble her."

"Well that explains your hostility" I responded and looked to the ground as well. we stood in silence as the sun began to rise. I sighed lightly and said

"Well, we better get walking then...no sense in wasting away here." I smiled slightly but he looked away. i forgot that I reminded him too much of whoever-she-was so I looked away as well. It was silent for a bit and it gnawed away at me. I sometimes glanced over to him to see what he was doing, quite obviously nothing though so I always ended up looking back in my direction. I hummed slightly to ease the silence but it made it worse. Another ten minutes rolled by and it was still the same awkard silence. I decided to break it with the first thing that came to mind

"So, I was just wondering...but how did you meet Alex?"

"We've been best friends since grade one." He responded without looking at me.

"And what did you mean when you said "you've always got what you want." I asked quietly

"Alex came from a rich family, no? Whatever he wanted, he got. It was also the same with Lizzie..."

"Lizzie was the girl who he let die, right?" I questioned

"the same girl who broke my heart..." He whispered

"Oh...." I said quietly. It once again became silent and awkward, just like before. It was worse though, I must have sparked a memory in him that he didn't want to remember. I instantly felt bad when I realized that I was the cause of his grief. i then heard him speak

"Don't feel bad, alright? It was my fault for letting my guard down with her and it's not your fault, alright? Just bear with me, ok?"

"Alright. But I want to know one thing." I asked, I took his silence as a yes "What did she do to make you hate her so?" I knew it was a lot to ask, especially when we were just becoming less hostile to one another. But I thought it would make him feel a little better if someone else knew what was going on. I looked towards the ground, trying hard not to make eye contact. I heard him make a noise then respond

"she used me to get close to Alex. Seeing as how I was his best friend, she figured I'd be the key in getting closer to him. I introduced one another, we all hung out. I was blind with affection for her and didn't see what she was doing. Alex didn't seem to see this either, nor did he seem to care about her the way I did."

"So why did they become boyfriend and girlfriend?" i asked quietly

"He did it out of pity for her. He never really loved her and that made me angry. He always got what he wished for and took it for granted. He figured someone better would come along."

"So, you loved her, she didn't love you and loved him and he didn't love her."

"Exactly."

"Well, don't feel bad..." I responded quietly "My boyfriend didn't love me either..."

"What do you mean? That Adam kid?" He questioned all of a sudden "I thought he was dead. How did you find this out?"

"Adam well, he's the Tank."

"The Tank? you mean, he rescued you from the military?"

"Yeah...and he took me to the Witch, who was a girl named Juliet in my choir class." I answered.

"So you're saying that the Tank, and the Witch, were two people that you once knew? That's messed up."

"You're telling me. And the best part was, I found out that they were together behind my back in our former lives..."

"That's horrible...I'm sorry to hear that..."

"Yeah, me too..." I added in quietly and continued to look forward. There were so many questions that attacked my brain now. It honestly didn't explain why Cornelius was nicer to me, why Alex simply pretended with his ex. The night that Alex told me that I reminded him of her, that made me think, what if he pulled the same thing with me? Just got with me out of pity. But then that also made me think, did I really like him that way? My dead heart began to ache. What did that mean? There was more to Alex than it seemed, and a bestfriend knows you like the back of their hand. I held my breath and just the thought of him made me hurt in the heart and brought tears to my eyes. When we'd find him, I'd have to question him myself, to see if this was true or not. So, I picked up my pace to hurry up and find him. My heart thirsted for Alex, and I knew it. I couldn't help but say that I was beginning to like Alex a little more than just a friend. But what made me deny it so?


	11. Walking In The Forest

**Chapter 11: **Walking In The Forest

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

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**Authors Note:** Short, boring chapter. It's kinda important but blah, the next one will be better. Sorry for this lame excuse that I call chapter eleven =_=

But, enjoy it nonetheless. Took me all day to write this xD

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It was around eight o'clock in the morning now. Cornelius and I had been walking for a little while now and we talked off and on. Mostly about where to find Alex and Dustin, and that's if they were alive still that is. I sighed lightly and looked towards the early morning light and pondered if Alex was staring at the same thing. He probably was and that made me smile like crazy. I guess Cornelius picked up on it and I heard him laugh and say

"What are you smiling about?"

"Oh nothing." I chimed happily. He only laughed and shook his head. He looked and me and said

"My ass it's nothing. What is it? Tell me."

"Nothing I want you to know!" I laughed quietly and he laughed too.

"Oh come on, please? Please, please, please." He pleaded with a puppy dog eyes. I looked at him and only punched his arm lightly which apparently wasn't very light because started to rub his arm. I shook my head and just continued to walk along all the bushes and stuff. I took in a deep a breath and sighed lightly. Then I heard him say suddenly

"You were thinking about Alex, weren't you?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Why?" I questioned without looking at him

"I don't know. He has had many girlfriends and only played them. He had no interest in love but thought it would be fun to just mess around. I'm not saying he's bad or anything, he just likes to "have fun" as he would put it. But with you, it seems, different." He responded

"Well, what makes you so sure that I'm going to just become head-over-heels for him? Hm?" I responded and this time looking at him

"You already are sweetie. You smile at nothing and seem unusually happy for being dead. That's two for you." He said and looked towards me. We held eye contact as it slowly became silent. I simply shook my head and turned my attention towards the trees and shrubs infront of me. He didn't know what I was thinking, or what I was happy about. Hell, I didn't even know what I was so happy about. Then again, he could have been right. I shook my head at that one too. I growled slightly at my frustration and decided to ask him something. I looked at him and smiled. He looked back, with question written all over his face and said what. My smile grew wider and I asked

"Well, Mr. Mysterious, you never told me about your former life. Who were your parents? What did you do? Stuff like that."

"Hm. Well, my parents were Allison and Victor Wright. I had a baby brother named Nick but he passed along with my mother and father. I had a dog too. His name was Fish."

"Fish?" I questioned almost bursting out into laughter "What an odd name for a dog!"

"Hey, my brother named him. Not me." He laughed as well.

"I had a hamster named Cracker and I named him if that makes you feel any better." I said, my laughter not dying down though. His only response was laughter, and a lot of it. I smiled and watched him as he laughed. He managed to say something through it all

"That's...so cute! A hamster...named Cracker...wow"

"Hey, my mom thought it was a great name too!" I said and smiled more

"I'm sure she did." He said with a small laugh at the end. I pushed him a bit and we laughed together. We were actually getting along, something that I never saw coming from Cornelius and I. I looked towards the ground and smiled to myself quietly. Then he spoke again, which caught me by surprise

"So, you said you were in choir, right? How exactly did you manage that? You don't seem like the choir type to me. Well, maybe a little, but still?"

"Oh, my mother worked as the choir instructor and decided that I would be a wonderful asset." I responded and kept my gaze towards the ground

"And you said earlier that your father was that one biker looking dude, right? so how did they manage to get together?" He questioned and I could feel his gaze upon me

"I don't really know to be honest. It was something along the lines of her hitch-hiking along the American/Canadian border. I guess they just hit it off that well." I said quietly. They probably would have had a picture perfect romance if it weren't for the fact that my father enjoyed women on the side lines and how much he hated the music my mother taught. I didn't care though, she and I were better off on our own anyway. Then something broke the silence. It sounded like shouting and tires turning. We stood there, listening, waiting and questioning everything. Then Cornelius quietly said

"I think Dustin and Alex are with those humans."


	12. Speaking With The Enemy

**Chapter 12: **Speaking With The Enemy

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

The words echoed throughout my head, did he really just say what I thought he said? Were Dustin and Alex both with the humans? But how? There were so many possibilities and none of them good. They were probably captured, but for what? I looked towards Cornelius for any confirmation but he gave me none. I took in a deep breath and I started towards them, but he grabbed my arm to stop me. I looked up towards him and he simply shook his head and that was followed by words

"Lucretia, it's broad daylight, you can't just waltz right into a pack of humans."

"You make them sound like animals." I responded, ignoring him.

"That's what they are to us now, and that's what we are to them. We're different and they'll probably kill us on sight." He said, not letting go of my arm

"We need to rescue them, or else!" I nearly screamed but he hushed me

"Well, we have to think of something then, right?" He said, smiling a little at the end. I still stared at him, horrified by the thought that we might not do anything. He let me go and we both stood in silence trying to figure something out. He was right, they probably would kill us on sight and that wouldn't get us any for sure. I sighed heavily. I didn't want to give up, there was no way that I was going to give up, but if we didn't figure anything out soon, we'll be screwed. Then he said quietly, as if he'd regret it

"I'll lure most of them away, and you go in there and release Dustin and Alex, alright?"

"But what if they get you?" I questioned worriedly

"Don't worry about me, just get them, alright?" He said quickly. I knew he was feeling that he would regret it, I could hear it in his voice. I simply nodded my head is response, and so did he. He took in a deep breath and got ready to go. He was trying to be a hero, and that doesn't usually work when it's not on the big screen. I could also tell that he was just as worried as me but I decided to calm him just a bit. I called his name, he looked at me, then I planted my lips on his cheek. I had to stand the tips of my toes just to try and reach him, but he moved down just a little lower for me to. I smiled at him, trying to make it easier that way too, and his eyes danced with both excitement and wonder. I nodded my head once more and got ready to head on out. As I turned, he grabbed my wrist and bent down to whisper in my ear

"Forgive Alex, it wasn't his fault."

"Wha-" I questioned as I turned back around to question him. I was only cut off with his lips to mine. They were soft and unsure, but I responded just as tenderly. What was he doing? What was _I_ doing? He still held onto my wrist when it finished only a few seconds later and I looked at him. His eyes still danced but with a hint of sadness in them. I was about to question him again but he just pushed me away. He let go of my wrist and I began to run. I didn't look back, I didn't want to look back but I knew he was standing there, watching me run for Alex. I wished for his safety, but something told me he might not be. So I mustered up all of my courage and headed straight for the large group of humans. I'd need all that I could get.

I stood behind the trees and watched them closely. They held guns, wore strange military clothes, and walked beside rather large vehicles that pulled cages behind them. Some were empty, some weren't. The ones that weren't empty puzzled me though. They had various infected in them and seemed to be quite at ease with going, but why? I watched and waited till I saw any sign of Dustin or Alex, but there weren't any. Then I heard Cornelius in the distance, and apparently they did too. Most of them ran towards the sound leaving behind their prizes. But there was one that seemed different, he seemed more than just a grunt doing the dirty work. He held himself high and mighty and wore an expensive looking suit. Some of the infected hissed and tried to claw at him, he only told them to shut up but they ignored him. I figured he was the boss out here, but that wouldn't stop me. I took in a deep breath and began to make my way.

As I was about to step out of the bushes, I saw him. I recognized his tattoos and the way he seemed so at ease with this. Then he was followed by the three others he was with. How could Francis be here? They managed to live? I was thrilled but also worried. My thoughts were cut off by their words

"I think it would be nice if you helped them, Mr. Taylor. I need all the men I can get and you're experienced."

"Hmph, what do I get out of it Gibbs? There's nothing you have that I want." Francis said sarcastically back.

"Your life?" The one named Gibbs offered. "We can just feed you to that filthy thing that you call a "Hunter" if you please. It's your call Mr. Taylor."

"Whatever." Francis growled and began to march over to the commotion ahead. The other three followed leaving Mr. Gibbs alone with his power. I growled under my breath, how could he treat my father like he was only just a pawn in his game? I needed to hurry if I wanted to keep Cornelius alive and rescue the others. I walked out of those bushes angry, something you should never do.

I forgot that I was a zombie to them, and that Gibbs was still standing there. I growled as I got closer and he turned his attention towards me. He didn't seem afraid, which made me even angrier than I already was. As far as I could tell, he gave a sly smile towards me and greeted me. I didn't attack, but I was getting ready to. As I was about to, he said

"Ah, someone who's infected but still kept their mind? How intriguing indeed. May I ask who you are?" I only growled and snapped at him and he smirked. It got all the other infected to join in with me. For once, I felt like I was dangerous and held power and that he was the only thing standing in my way. I soon realized that I couldn't waste time chit-chatting with this man and get what I needed. He then spoke

"Answer me, before I shoot you." I couldn't say anything due to it only sounding like shrieks to him. I looked around for answers and then to my fingers. I stared at them, then towards the ground. I decided to scribble something into the ground. I bent down and his eyes followed. I scribbled

"_Tell me who you are first. Or all scratch you face off."_

"You think you're so dangerous, hm? Well, I'm Rufus Gibbs. I work for CEDA and I'm rounding up all these _freaks_ for experiments." He responded. I growled at the word freaks and wrote my response

"_CEDA? What do they want with all these infected? And were not freaks."_

"You're different from us, of course your freaks. The scientists want you things so they can see where they went wrong." He answered almost instantly which made me even angrier than usual. Something about that didn't seem to be true, I could feel it. I responded with

"_You're lying Rufus, I can sense it. What's going on here?"_

"You're a smart girl, too bad you're dead. Just to keep it between you and I, were gathering them for something. Something big. Plus, too parents want their son back. Apparently, he was mixed up in all of this."

"_Something big? And what do you mean someone's child got mixed up in it?" _I wrote

"Our two top scientists, Claire and Sebastian Asher, lost their son Alex." He answered quietly

"_Alex?"_ I wrote. That's all I could say. He didn't mean my Alex, did he?

"Yes. Now, I need your cooperation." He said and I looked up to find a pistol in my face. I stared at him, I felt played. He smiled at the shock on my face, and he said

"You seem valuable. Far more valuable than some lost kid. Now, if you come with me, I'll spare your li-" I was far too angry to be played like this. With one swipe of my hand, I knocked that dinky pistol out of his hands. He didn't seem to like that at all and grabbed my arm, which was the wrong thing to do. I growled, he told me to shut up as loudly as he could, and then I responded with my horrible shriek. From the bottom of my stomach up, I screamed right in his face. He yelled, but it was drowned out with just my mind numbing screeching. He fell to his knees but still held onto my arm for dear life. All the other infected were getting restless now too and wanted to be apart of this. I tore my arm from his vice grip and stood over him, feeling that power once more. He looked up to me as he held his head and whispered

"What are you?"

I just glared at him and ran to find Alex and Dustin. These past few minutes were wasted and Cornelius was probably getting tired as well. I ran for dear life to try and beat the minutes passing. I had many questions for Alex anyway. Was he really the son of Scientists, or was it just coincidence? And what did Cornelius mean by _"Forgive Alex, it wasn't his fault." _And the kiss Cornelius and I shared, I couldn't help but wonder what caused him to do that. I growled though, my questions would be answered soon, very soon.


	13. The Truth Hurts

**Chapter 13:** The Truth Hurts

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

There were so many cages filled with infected. It sickened me. I stared at them, they didn't look back though. It's like they were afraid to or something. I turned my attention to a rather large cage, a box actually, and noticed it shifted back and forth quite harshly. Dustin must have been in there due to the way it was closed off like that. Besides, he was the only one heavy enough to shift it violently like that. I wandered over to the side and said

"Dustin, are you in there?"

All I heard was a silent scratching noise and it struck me odd. I once again questioned if he was in there, but this time I got a muffled sound. I needed to open that door with something, but what? I whispered be right back to him and the scratching noise answered me. I began to look around for something, anything, to help Dustin get out of there.

I wandered around looking for something, but I found nothing that would open a locked door. There surely had to be a few guards around that had a key, right? Being partly blind didn't help at all on top of it. Time was slowly running out for Cornelius and that was beginning to make me worry. Then I heard them, both quietly walking and holding their guns, they seemed so unaware of what was about to happen. It made me sick, but distant thoughts of my friends made me do it.

I crept up silently, watching their every move the best I could. I was still among the various bushes and trees which concealed my presence. They were so close that I could reach out to touch them, but I didn't. I needed to keep hidden, or else. I followed them, I felt like a stalker oddly. Or a hunter that was just about to close in on it's prey. Those few tense seconds before the kill, both knew the moment was coming and it became silent. One guard departed and the other stating that he can handle a few zombies if any came close. I felt sorry for the blond that I was going to close in on. Again, I followed him as he made his way back to the closed box that Dustin was in. I guess the good part was is that I wouldn't have to go very far when I was finished with him. I took in a deep breath and took a giant leap to pin him down. I'd make it as quick as possible for this man.

He screamed as he flew face first onto the cold awaiting ground beneath him. He would never see his killer, which made me feel just a little worse about this. I held his life in my hand, and I'd suffocate that light that I held. I pinned him down quite nicely but he squirmed like a fish out of water. His horrified screams were muffled but I still heard them. My throat tightened and in an instant, I heard the snap of his neck. All in a second, he stopped moving, he stopped screaming, he stopped breathing. I panicked as I searched for the keys to free Dustin, what if someone heard me? Then I felt the key ring and wrapped my deformed fingers around it. I took in a deep breath and leaped off the body. It was best if I stepped it up just a bit.

I came back to the box and told Dustin that I was back and busting him out of there. I heard no response and that caused me to rush more. Twice I dropped the stupid key ring. Not only that, there were so many keys! I growled as I did trial and error with them all. But then I heard it click and turn, which made me almost scream with happiness. As soon as I opened the door, I found Dustin sitting on the ground looking bored. My smile was wide and happy and he returned one a few seconds later. We rejoiced just outside of his prison. He then became serious and asked

"Lucretia, where's everyone else?"

"Cornelius is busy being a distraction. I'm afraid his time is running short. As for Alex, I'm going to rescue him in a few here." I responded

"Are you ok with going alone?" Dustin questioned. I could hear the worry in his voice

"I'm sure. I got you out, right?" I responded trying to make it easy for him to take

"Well, I can see you're no damsel in distress." He said while laughing a bit. "Alright, I'll go look for Cornelius."

"I'll see you in a few." I said and headed for the bushes again. I wished him the best of luck with succeeding in finding and helping Cornelius. I needed to find Alex, and fast.

As I continued to wander down the long line of cages and guards, I noticed something. There were less and less guards. But why? I only pushed it off as nothing and continued to search. I soon came to his cage and recognized that hoodie anywhere. His back was towards me but that didn't matter, I'd soon get to see his face soon. There were no guards around to stop me but I had to keep a look out anyway, never know when one might be come. I held the keys tightly in my hand, afraid I might drop them, and wandered over to them. As I came to the bars, I rested my head on it and watched him for a few seconds. What was I waiting for?

"Alex, I need to speak with you." I said, my voice nothing more than a whisper. He didn't jump, but he seemed surprised. The hood hid his eyes and I could tell his mouth was a hard line. Was he unsure of me? He didn't turn around fully but he turned his head to stare at me. I stared at him and smiled softly. He returned it with saying something

"Lucretia! You came for me?"

"Of course. I can't just leave someone behind…" I said and that made me think of Adam. My stomach knotted up and remembered all those questions. Rufus, Cornelius, Adam. Before I got too soft, I needed to start asking him. I took a deep breath and continued

"Like I said, I need to speak with you."

"I'm all ears." He said and turned around to face me. He crouched too to get to me level due to the cages height. How would I word this? I didn't want to seem too strange or anything. I decided just to go with it.

"I want to know about your past."

"My past? I thought we already went through this?" He offered

"I know. But I need to know."

"Well, I have a mom and dad, rather _had_ that is. They were pretty rich."

"I already know that!" I practically bursted out, the tension was getting to me. He flinched slightly at the sudden out-burst. He then replied

"Well…what do you want to know about them?"

"What did they do to become so rich? What were their names?"

"They were scientists, amazing scientists." He said. I held my breath and let him continue "Their names are Claire and Sebastian."

"Claire and Sebastian?" I echoed "Don't tell me they worked for CEDA…"

"…Where did you hear this?" He questioned with a serious tone.

"A man named Rufus. Are you familiar with him?" I shot at him. I didn't know why I was getting so angry, just the thought of this made me want to scream and yell.

"Gibbs?" He questioned quietly. That was not a good sign at all. I simply nodded and he growled under his breath. I moved my head from it's current resting position and took a step backwards. He then wrapped his hands around the bars and he looked at me. He then shot a question to me

"What did he tell you? How did you speak with him? How did you get to him?"

"We communicated by me writing on the ground and him talking normally. He told me that you were the son of two scientists by the name of Claire and Sebastian and you were a runaway experiment. And Cornelius covered me by distracting most of the guards…" I answered. His silence gave me time to think. I then remembered what Cornelius said. When he answered, I'd ask him.

"Don't listen to him. He's a liar, a schemer."

"Don't go pointing fingers!" I yelled at him. He didn't flinch at all this time, but instead stood his ground and he looked slightly angry.

"What? You don't trust me?" He questioned

"I don't even know what to think about you anymore! I trusted you and you don't even have the guts to tell me that you're a runaway experiment."

"It's not like that!" He countered

"What is it then?" I responded and tightened my grip on the keys.

"They let me free." He answered and squeezed the bars.

"But why? Why did they let they go if they knew you were dangerous?" I asked suddenly becoming quiet like he did

"They wanted to test me." He answered.

"For what? Why?" I suddenly asked

"I don't know why, they just did. My parents were always like that. Holding me up like that then just suddenly letting me go. All my life they've done that."

"Oh…" I said. We became silent. There were still no guards around so we could talk like this a little more. To change the subject, I brought up the Cornelius thing.

"I was just wondering but Cornelius told me to forgive you. I don't know why though…do you?" His silence made me question what he knew. He lowered his eyes and moved his head downwards. Once again, that was not a good sign. I moved closer and touched his hand. He pulled it away and stood up but still held his head that way. I whispered quietly

"Alex, what's wrong?"

"You won't…forgive me." He said silently

"Just tell me!" I said loudly

"Do you remember the night I saved you? You just sat there, filled with grief." He started

"Yes." I said, not liking where this was going.

"When Adam was taken down…I was there. It was me who did it." He said quietly. Did he really just say what I thought he did? I squeezed the keys as the cold liquid fell from my eyes. Even though my heart was long dead, I could feel my chest becoming heavy. I backed away slowly, the keys still in my hand. Alex looked up and he spoke

"Lucretia, I-I can explain!"

"Don't talk to me Alex!" I screamed "You've done enough damage!"

"I'm so sorry, Lucretia, I really am." He said and flew to the bars to the cage. His sleeved arm reached out for me as I backed away. I told him not to talk and he disobeyed. I grew angry with him

"I hope you die Alex, I honestly do! I regret ever meeting you and risking my life to save you! You're nothing more than trouble! Just _die_." Every word was laced with venom and hate. He flinched as I told him to die one last time and his arm slowly fell to his side. I clenched the keys in my fist then turned around to through them somewhere far away so he'd never get out. I heard them land somewhere softly and I ran. I needed to get away from here, be alone for a while. He didn't realize what he did to me.

I don't think he ever would.

As I ran, the icy-cold tears flew down my cheeks. Even though Adam cheated on me, I still loved him. He was torn from me and it hurt. It hurt a lot. So I ran far, far away as far as I could and I didn't even look back once.


	14. The Sound Of Rain

**Chapter 14:** The Sound Of Rain

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

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_**Authors Note:** Listen to the song "Someone Special" by Poets Of The Fall. That song inspired this shortish chapter xD_

_Enjoy :]  
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As I ran and cried, I argued and yelled at myself. How could I be so stupid to let this happen? First Adam, then Alex. It's like deaths cruel game for not passing over right away. The sun was high in the sky but storm clouds were heading over, nice. Mother Nature also wanted to throw in her part make me feel better. A frustrated scream escaped my lips and I covered my ears. I was going insane with all of this just coming down onto me. Then I remembered Cornelius and Dustin. They didn't deserve to be deserted just like that, they didn't cause any harm to me. Plus I threw the keys away so no one would be able to get Alex out. I could go back for them, besides, they needed my help didn't they? I was about to go back when I decided not to. I remembered that they both knew about this and they could have told me. I screamed once more and flew to my knees. I could feel the tears come and begin to flow down my cheeks. I rested my head upon my knees and began to think of everything that has happened in the past few days. There was so much to think about.

The sun was still shining and the rain clouds hadn't come yet. It was as if time had slowed everything down to the point where it would stop. I continued to rest my head upon my knees and distant thoughts buzzed around in my mind. How could I not have put it all together? The reason he knew so much about why we became infected, knew about the bomb. And the moment he saved me too. I let him close, too close. I let him in my damned undead life and this is how I was paid? It made me angry, it made me sick! Adam was no better, I knew that one from the beginning. Even my mother knew that too! I remember the way she used to tell me to watch out for his flirtatious tricks. She'd say it in her angel-harp voice

"_Lou sweetie, watch out for that Adam boy. He could turn out to be like your father."_

A mother always knew what was best for her children and I growled quietly because of it. If she was so smart, why did she let my father get away with it? Again the tears hard started to flow. She was so torn apart when he left her, but she swore not to cry. Only an hour later she broke into tears on the couch. I was too little to do anything but she thanked me for staying by her side the whole time through it. It tore me to bits to see the woman that I idolized crushed by someone who didn't care about her. I was there for her, and she wasn't here for me? I needed my mother and she couldn't come for me? I clawed at the ground in anger and hatred. How could she be so selfish? My screams were nothing more but muffled grunts upon my legs. Then I heard the crashing sound of the thunder. It caused me to sit straight up and scan the area. In my quiet voice, I whispered

"I know it's not your fault mum…but I wish you were here…"

The realization of me being the one who was selfish only caused the tears to flood out of my eyes. I always blamed the person I loved for the reason why I was angry, even if they had nothing to do with it. I couldn't explain it, but I just did. When my dad left, I blamed my mom for causing it. I was so angry at her that I didn't want to talk to her. But when I saw her break down, that feeling deserted me and left me with feeling bad. The silent raindrops masked that though. My long brown hair was getting messy and tangled but I didn't care, no one would see me in this state anyway. I set my claws upon my lap and I examined my hands. They were dirty and demonic, maybe this image suited me. I was just a monster who was selfish and cruel, only thinking about my wants and needs and blaming others for why I hurt. I thought back to Alex, and felt a little bad for leaving him there. I could have let him out. And when I told him to die, that was a little extreme. But that's what I did when I was angry, blamed others for something they never intended or caused. The tears stopped, and I looked up to the sky. The scent of the rain felt so nice and refreshing, something that I hadn't known for a while. I closed my eyes and said to myself

"I love you mom…I'm sorry for being so angry with you…"

The silence was mocking me for my childishness. If my two best friends were here, Tess and Rachelle, we'd try to make each other feel better with the stupidest of things. Thinking of them made a lump in my throat. They were probably with my mom, watching all of this and watching me act like a child. I needed them, and I needed my mom here to help me get through this. I needed their advice and opinions about this. I simply needed their strength. I remembered my mother's favorite quote from her favorite song, _Someone Special_, and how it always made her feel better. It went

"_In the rain, hold my head and ease my pain, In a world that's gone insane__.__"_

I thought about it for a second and realized how it went with me oddly. It made me laugh a bit and shake my head slightly. Paige was always like that, had a strange quote or phrase to go with _anything. _Everyone I knew was always the person to see the world as a glass half full rather than half empty. I admired them for that. I was in between and could never make up my mind. I always worked on a whim, but lately, it hasn't been that way. I wished life could go back to being carefree and fun. I wished that I could have my best friends back and the way life went, but of course without Adam. I sighed and brought my knees up to my chest to think more.

I dragged my fingers in the dirt, rather mud, that wad under me and made strange designs as I was lost in thought. I was still angry at Alex and tried hard not to think of him. I wondered what my friends would have thought about him and the others. What they could have been if they became "special" infected like me. I figured they both would have liked Alex and got along with Dustin, cracking wise-ass jokes together, and tag-teaming poor Cornelius to the point where he'd wish for death. They were the life of the party, always have been. They were probably running around Heaven and annoying the poor angels together. I wished I could have been there. My thoughts rushed elsewhere though, thinking of that would have brought more tears to my eyes. As I continued to make my strange designs, I heard something getting closer. I stopped my designing, all my thoughts deserted me, and I was left with the sound of the rain, lightning, and thunder. The only sound that was left was my breathing. What was this thing behind me?


	15. Haunting Me

**Chapter 15:** Haunting Me

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

I came to find myself staring at a rather large figure. I titled my head to the side slightly and put my hand above my eyes so it would shield them from the rain. I squinted and made out the figure more. It was Dustin. I stared at him, he stared at me and it was silent for the longest time. Then I questioned him

"Dustin, why are you here?"

"Quite frankly, I couldn't find Cornelius and I listened to yours and Alex's conversation." He responded quite calmly. I, on the other hand, didn't take it so well. i hated when people listened to my conversations with someone else. I glared at him and he simply stared right to me. I then asked

"You didn't let Alex out, did you?"

"Maybe, maybe not, depends." He said with a small smile.

"I swear Dustin…" I growled quietly. I did _not _want Alex set free.

"It wasn't his fau-"

"What do you know Dustin! You don't know what he did! You don't know how it feels!" I got to my feet and screamed at him. The rain continued to come down hard and I stood there glaring at him. The anger practically rolled off of me and he simply stared at me. He shook his head and laughed a little. It wasn't the usual hearty one he had. It was distant and quiet, something that wasn't Dustin. I eased a little and cocked my head at him. He looked towards me and asked

"Lucretia, I do know how you feel. I know how he feels."

"What do you mean?" I questioned a second later. I stared at him and he looked away. It fell silent for a few minutes and I noticed him taking in a deep breath. He then looked at me and began to explain

"How would you feel if you were the protector of your little sister then having to put her out of her misery?"

"I…I don't know." I responded quietly. The rain continued to pour as we stood in silence. A feeling of gloom washed over me. Once again I had been feeling sorry for myself. I sighed heavily and I whispered

"I'm sorry Dustin…I didn't know…"

"No one knew." He responded "Don't feel bad. She's somewhere better now…"

"How did it happen?" I questioned. My curiosity got the best of me and I realized this. I stared at him and began my apologies

"No! You don't have to answer! I didn't mean to ask, I'm sor-"

"No, it's ok. I'd probably do the same to you." He responded with a soft smile. I was relieved that he was a nice guy and didn't get mad at stupid mistakes. He looked up towards the gray skies and began

"Well, it was during the beginning of the infection. My parents had passed and it was just my sister and I left. Being her big brother and all, I had to watch out for her."

"How old was she?" I asked in a death whisper voice

"Eight." He said just as quiet. I felt the tension in my throat and thought about Dustin and his baby sister. It must have been horrible. I stayed silent so he could continue

"As we were hiding, she strayed from me and was on her own. I didn't realize this until I heard her scream. I found her…" He said and trailed off. I couldn't imagine the images he witnessed. It must have been horrible and gruesome. Once again, I felt the tension in my throat but it was accompanied by sorrow and tears. Why was I crying? I had no right to. He had the loss and he wasn't crying but I cried over it. I managed to choke out

"I-I'm…s-sorry"

"It's alright…like I said, she's in a better place now…"

"No, it's not alright. I simply can't imagine what you went through yet I cry? That's…wrong…" I raised my voice a little. He didn't move, he didn't breathe, he just stood there. I couldn't make his facial expression out due to the rain, tears and simply my eyes, but I sensed he felt sad.

"It's not wrong Ell, at least you feel something. You still have emotion left." He said, as well as giving me a new nickname. I looked up to him and he added

"At least you have_ some_ humane left in you."

"How can I be humane when I left Alex to die?" I said and fell to my knees in the mud "How can you say that?" I shrieked a little and felt my dead heart rip in half. I rested my head upon my knees and put a clawed hand over my heart. Dustin quietly laughed and said

"See Lucretia, you love him and you feel bad for leaving him. You_ care_." He said. The sudden realization took me by surprise. Yes, I did feel bad for leaving him, but caring about him? I looked up to Dustin and he gave me a soft smile. I sat in the mud and my jeans were getting all dirty as it did. The sudden lightning strike caught me off guard and Dustin laughed at me. I looked at him and he said

"Come Ell, lets go somewhere to hide from all of this rain."

"May I ask you something first?" I suddenly said

"Sure, I'm all ears." He said and gave me a hand up.

"I have two questions actually…" I said and looked away "One being…was it hard to…put your sister out of her misery?" That was an awful way to put it, and a silly question at that. I caught his eye and he answered

"It was…Even though she annoyed me, it bothered me greatly. But I accepted that she was somewhere with my parents…"

"Do you feel that being infected as such was your punishment?" I question

"I do…" He said

"I know how you feel…" I said to him

"And your other question?" Dustin said as if changing the subject

"Do you think he's safe?"

"Of course, I didn't let him out of the cage."

"Wait, so you lied to me?" I asked

"Well, how else was I supposed to make you realize?" He said and began to walk away for a place to stay. I guess he was right. It opened my eyes to what I had done and feelings that I had suppressed. I took in a deep breath and crossed my arms across my chest. I followed closely behind Dustin and looked towards the ground. The rain suddenly got harder as we found somewhere to stay and wait for it to pass. I then said

"We're going to get him and Cornelius, right?"

"Yeah, we are."

"And take out Gibbs?"

"Damn straight."


	16. Under Gray Skies

**Chapter 16:** Under Gray Skies

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

The rain grew harsher and it showed no sign of ceasing, at all. I had no idea what time it was either which sucked. How was I supposed to know if it was still today or tomorrow? I sighed and sat in front of the lonely window and just continued to watch it pour. Dustin stood beside me and he was awfully quiet, as if he were deep in thought. I touched the cold glass then closed my eyes. My thoughts drifted from Alex, to Cornelius, then my father and mother and once again back to Cornelius. It still confused me as to why he had kissed me so suddenly when he did. I thought he didn't really like me and we were only getting to know each other? I touched chest and felt something cold there. I looked down to find the little heart-shaped pendant in my grasp and shook my head at it. In one quick motion, I ripped it off my neck and the broken chain was in my hands. I held it out and the pendant swayed back and forth slightly. Then I heard Dustin's deep voice break my thoughts

"What's that?"

"Something I don't want anymore." I responded quietly

"Oh, and why is that? It's so pretty." He commented

"It belonged to…him." I answered and tossed it away. I heard the light object fall quietly behind me but I didn't care, I didn't need it anymore. The sudden crack of thunder caused me to jump lightly and look around. It was followed by the bright flash of lightning in the far off distance. Dustin quietly laughed at me and said

"You're such a child Ell, you're so cute."

"I'm not cute. I'm scary looking, what are you on?" I responded and looked at him. He simply shook his head and changed the subject

"Well, it appears the rain isn't going to let up so we better start making our way there, or else."

"Or else what?" I asked suddenly afraid of the consequences

"We'll be so far behind that we may never catch up to them, you know?" He said and looked down at me. I couldn't see what his eyes were hiding but I felt sadness. I stared up at him but then looked back towards the window. I took in a deep breath and quietly said

"Can I ask you something, Dustin?"

"Anything." He said and awaited

"Do you have any idea as to why Cornelius kissed me just before I rescued you?"

"Whoa hold on a second, Cornelius as in angry-dick-Cornelius?" He questioned and suddenly getting louder

"Yes, Cornelius as in angry-dick-Cornelius." I answered reassuringly

"Never thought I'd see the day, hah." He said and shook his head.

"Well, any explanation?" I asked as I got up to stand beside him

"Hm…maybe too much of the infection spread to his head?" He suggested with a chuckle

"A _real _explanation." I shot back with a smile

"No, not really. Maybe he felt bad for treating you that way and wanted to make it up to you?"

"With a kiss, really?"

"Come on, this is Cornelius we're talking about. I have no idea as to why he did that." He said and began to head for the door. If Tess and Rachelle were here, they'd have a thousand reasons why in no time. I shook my head and began to walk with him. As we neared, I could hear the rain pour and thunder and lightning somewhere off in the distance. I took a deep breath and said

"Well, you ready for an epic adventure?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." He said and then opened the door to the crying world outside.

The rain was harsh and cold as it hit my skin but it didn't really bother me. I guess being dead had its ups. The mud squished between my twos and it was a strange feeling. I constantly looked towards my feet, hoping I wouldn't step in anything too messy, and I almost walked into a tree. Of course, Dustin had to laugh at my stupidity which made me shy away from him for a bit. I was always bad around guys. Really bad actually. I always managed to screw up and make a fool of myself in front of a guy that I found rather cute or attractive. I shook my head at these distant memories and tried my best to think of something else. I then suddenly questioned Dustin.

"Dustin, did you have any girlfriends back before all of this?"

"More like one night stands my dear. I was a real…player." He admitted casually

"So you're telling me that you slept with random chicks?"

"Basically, yeah."

"Dustin, of all people, you?" I said. I was shocked

"Hey, that's what happens when you're the star player for your school football team. Cheerleaders are begging for you to take them to bed with you."

"That's intense buddy." I commented and thought of him as a football player. The very people I didn't really enjoy hanging around. Funny how death has it's ironies, no? I then realized something, how in the world were we supposed to get Alex out of his prison without a key? I growled quietly at myself and realized how much of a fool I was. Dustin then quietly said

"What's wrong Ell?"

"Oh, I just remembered that I threw the stupid keys somewhere in the forest."

"Oh, I see. Well, we'll just have to be smart and think up another way to get him out." He reasoned with me

"Or, maybe keep our eyes peeled, hm?"

"Silly Ell, you're blind, you can't see that well." He said with a laugh

"Way to make it better Dustin. And why in the world do you call me Ell? It has nothing to do with me."

"You know, the beginning letter of your name, L. Ell is kinda cute, just like you." He said happily

"Thanks Dustin. Maybe we should hurry up just a bit." I said quietly but suddenly stopped. I could hear humans speaking, talking, being loud and obnoxious. No wonder why infected attacked them. I could hear them discussing something about going to New Orleans for a cure or something along the lines of that. I then noticed something, heard for that matter. The silent sobbing was quiet but indeed noticeable. At first, I couldn't pin it, but listening to it more made me realize who it was: Juliet. I looked at Dustin, and he looked back, I was going to say something until I heard some coughing coming from somewhere. I then noticed him as well, but he was in the trees. His arm was dripping something dark and gooey but other than that, he seemed quite content being up there. I almost gushed with joy but I hushed myself upon remembering the humans. The next thing I knew, Cornelius dropped like a sack of potatoes and landed in the bush with a large thud. Thank God humans never paid attention to details and ignored him. He made his way out of the bush and towards us and once he was close enough, he said quietly

"It's about time you guys showed up. I've been following these_ things_ for quite a while."


	17. Learning To Forgive

**Chapter 17:** Learning To Forgive

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

I couldn't help but stare at Cornelius's arm. The goo ran down his arm and stained his dirty sweater even more. I couldn't help but wonder as to what he did to get such a nasty wound. It must have been bad from the looks of it. Then my thoughts dragged back to Alex and as to why we were here in the first place. I turned my attention from his arm to his eyes and said quietly

"Cornelius, have you seen Alex?"

"Well, the last I saw, he was still in that cage." He responded

"Well, we need to get him and get out of here as soon as possible…" I said quietly and I looked over towards Dustin for guidance. He simply nodded his head in approval and then we turned back to Cornelius. Then I heard a rather loud wail come somewhere from behind us. Juliet was still crying and it bothered me. As much as I disliked her, it made me sad as to the fact that she may never be happy again. Then Cornelius's voice broke through my thoughts

"Ugh, it's Witch. Do you think we could speed this up and find him before I get my ear drums blown?"

"That's a good idea but there's one problem." I said quietly

"And that is?" He questioned

"I kinda threw the keys away…" I answered and looked away. It was silent except for Juliet's crying which made my stomach churn a little. I was so distant that I almost didn't hear Cornelius respond

"Great, just great. Now what are we supposed to do?"

"Um…look for the keys?" I suggested silently

"I highly doubt that Ell. From the way you put it, you threw them pretty far. Plus, we'd have to go back a few miles due to them moving on." Dustin answered. I sighed rather heavy and turned around. From where I was standing, I could see CEDA soldiers walking beside their prey. Somewhere in there was Alex was alone and for all I know, could be for the rest of his life. I had caused this, and I couldn't even undo it. My dead heart choked my chest as I thought more and more about this. What had I done? Tears almost flew to my eyes but were stopped by my sudden burst of courage. I'd go look for him and help him myself, even if it cost my life. I could hear Dustin and Cornelius protest as I walked out of the bushes.

It was still raining as I walked silently beside these foreign creatures. They didn't seem to notice, or care about me and that was a plus to this. I watched every single one of them go by and people shouted at one another to either hurry up or watch out in case something attacked. They weren't very smart considering the fact that I could just sit there and they'd pass me like I was nothing. I watched silently and checked each cage as they passed. I could still hear Juliet crying among other things. I held my breath as I saw him pass. He was sitting there and watched everything pass. He growled and hissed when a soldier passed his cage. What had gotten into him? Then everything stopped with a sudden halt. It caught me by surprise when everyone rushed to the source of the problem. I only had a few moments so I needed to hurry.

I ran to his cage and he hissed at me with such ferocity that I jumped a little. I stayed a little away, in case something happen, and I began to speak to him

"Alex, I'm so sorry about earlier…I can understand if you're mad at me, but I've come to fix it…I've come to get you out…"

He growled at me in response. He wasn't speaking, but growling. He hissed at me as I got closer and when I neared, he let out a demonic shriek. I jumped lightly and looked at him. Why was he acting this way? What had happened to him while I was gone? I was about to speak again when he screeched again. I told him to hush and he returned to his growling state. I came to the bars and wrapped my pale gray fingers around the icy iron. It chilled me to the bone just as the rain did. I spoke quietly again

"Alex, what's wrong? Please talk t-"

I was cut off by him screeching that horrifying scream. I reached out to calm him but only swatted me away with such force that he cut me with his cat like claws. I retracted my cold hands only to find dark goo oozing out from it. The moment I saw it, I felt the pain. It was excruciatingly painful and I held my hand closely to me. As I did, the tears began to form in my eyes. I was afraid to get close to the iron hell again so I backed away. My heart still choked my insides and my stomach still churned. This wasn't the same, gentle Alex that I loved and knew. This was a cruel, feral-demon that was not mine. Realizing this, more tears spilled. I could hear him pace back forth as he watched me. The very sensation from when we first met, the first time he held me in his arms. I cried a river of tears, more that the sky had cried. I wanted to believe that he was just messing around, playing a horrible trick on me. But I knew he wasn't. I managed to stop crying enough to choke out

"A-Alex, please listen t-to me."

He only hissed in response but I continued

"If you're s-still in t-there, I want you t-to know one t-thing."

Again, he only hissed in response but this time, he sounded more agitated.

"I… l-love you. And s- seeing you this way, it k-kills me inside…when I'm with you, you're the reason as to why my dead heart relives again. You're the very b- beat to its l-lost sound, and when you're g-gone, it's empty and l-lonely. It d-dies once more. You have my dead life in your very hands and you c-crush it by p-pushing me away. I'm sorry that I p-pushed you away, I-I really am. I-I love you s-so much, and I-I'm s-sorry. I-I wish you could f-forgive me…"

The rain came down hard and it hid my tears well. I stuttered my way through all of that but that wasn't the reason why I had felt so foolish. He growled and snarled as I poured my whole heart out to him, and snapped as I said I loved him. How could he forgive me if I couldn't forgive myself? But it didn't matter now, I already said it. I would have kisses him, better than the first time I did, but he would have cut me not just physically but emotionally. I stood in the rain by the creature I loved and listened to all the sounds around me. Juliet's crying was getting harsher and hoarser. It sounded as if she were calling out to something, or anyone. Too bad she was stuck in there too, she'd never get out until New Orleans, which was very far away. But I was content to stand here, to die if I must, but I'd stay with Alex no matter what. I'd share his pain and grief with him to make him feel a little less lonely. Maybe, just maybe, Dustin and Cornelius would get the hint that I'm not coming back and leave. For now, I'd waste away in the rain with my sweet Alex, even if he never got to know how much he meant to me.


	18. Guarding An Angel

**Chapter 18:** Guarding An Angel

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

I wrapped my cold, dead fingers around the cold iron and thought of all the times I could have told him. Well, there weren't many but still, I could have told him. Like the time at his house when we were just lying on the bed, I could have then. But what did I do? I fell asleep. Then when we shared that kiss, even then I could have. Instead of just blaming it on saying "thank you" like I did. His light growling caught my attention and I looked up to him. He stared at Juliet and continued to growl like he did. What had gotten into him? I just continued to stare at him until he looked towards me, and he hissed. His intense staring slowly and low growls made me feel a little scared; it was as if he thought I was the enemy. I didn't want to touch him, I couldn't touch him even if I wanted to. I was paralyzed with fear as we held eye contact. It felt like predator and prey around him yet I still held his eye. I took in a deep breath and I began to slowly let go of the bar. It was as if time had completely stopped. Within a mere second, my fingers had just let go of the cold bar and I began to retract my arm and the next second, I was on my back in the mud. He screeched that horrible sound of his and tried to reach me through the secure bars. His claws seemed even more deadly the way the rain danced upon them and the way the lightning made them glow. I would have hated to been the creature being attacked by him. I gulped the hard lump in my throat and began to sit up slowly. I decided it would be safe to not go anywhere near the cage, or else I would be sorry. I sat up and I looked down to my muddy form. As I sighed heavily, I looked to Alex and said quietly

"I'm not used to you acting like this…but I guess I'll have to if I'm going to love you."

He only screamed more and tried to reach for me as I sat there in the rain. I tried to smile the best I could but it only faded into a small frown. I had an odd feeling that he only saw me as his next target to kill. I tried to think of something else, but it didn't work. I wanted to help him so badly but I was afraid that if I did, it would turn out bad. I watched him give up at trying to kill me and went back to staring at Juliet. Her sobbing also bothered me greatly and once again, I felt useless. I then remembered the lack of guards and remembered that they should be returning soon. But did I care? Not a chance. I was more than content to die beside Alex than go on living without him, even if it was safer. So here I was, guarding a feral monster that I had loved, and still did, from anything dangerous. But then I heard the screams which caused Alex and I to look. Gunfire was also among the screams which frightened me. What was going on up there? I stood up and looked towards the area from which all the sound was coming from, but sadly, I couldn't see anything. But then I heard someone calling my name.

"Lucretia! Is that you? Cornelius, I found her!"

That's when I saw Dustin and Cornelius rush out of the bushes with large smiles. Well, Dustin had the largest and Cornelius had more of a smirk going on but nonetheless, it was an achievement in itself. I managed a small smile myself but as soon as it came, it was gone. They looked at me, then towards Alex and gave me a puzzled look. I lowered my eyes and answered their silent question

"I don't know what's going on…I found him this way…"

"What did those bastards do to him?" Cornelius growled quietly

"I wish I knew…" I responded and choked on my words. Hearing my sorrow only cut me more. We were all watching the way Alex became more and more alert. He paced back and forth and got a little faster. It was as if his animal side knew something was going to happen, something Cornelius, Dustin and I knew little about. I wanted to comfort him so badly but I knew it was a futile attempt to even think about nearing the cage. To ease my pain a little, I looked back to my companions. I then realized something and spoke my confusion

"Wait, weren't you guys distracting the soldiers?"

"Are you crazy? I nearly died the first time! What makes you think I'd do it again?" Cornelius responded. I looked towards Dustin who also seemed to realize this. Slowly, so did Cornelius. We all stood in complete silence and the rain began to get fiercer, along with Alex's pacing and Juliet's hoarse crying. Then I felt the ground begin to shake. It was only a little at first, then it got violent as if it were an earthquake happening. I looked towards them for any guidance but they two were also confused. Then I saw him break through the mist that the rain had created and it was as if the wind was knocked out of me. Juliet's crying stopped for a split second and I knew what was going on; Adam had come for his precious Juliet.

Cornelius and Dustin had run for the bushes before I could even regain my thoughts. I stood in front of Alex and felt like a wall between the two. Adam stopped in front of me and stared down towards me. Juliet didn't get up but turned to look at us and Alex stopped his pacing. Adam and Alex had locked eyes like two predators would before they would attack each other. The air went dead and the only sound I could hear was my breathing. I was standing between two lions just waiting to attack. I gulped and said in a quiet voice

"Adam, it's not what you think."

He ignored me and watched Alex, who seemed to be doing the same. But I continued shortly after

"Adam, no, Alex did nothing wrong."

Then I heard Cornelius and Dustin calling me from the bushes. Adam, however, managed to hear that and turned around to face them. He began to head for that direction.

"No!" I screamed so loud that everything once again died. He turned to look at me and looked down at me. I took a small step towards him but jumped when he suddenly smashed his large arms down on the soft earth beneath him. It sent a quaking shiver through my entire being as he closed in on me. I closed my eyes, just waiting for my punishment. But it wasn't all in vain, I mean, I managed to distract him from taking Cornelius's and Dustin's life so it would be alright. But then the ground stopped shaking from Adam coming to a halt. I opened my eyes only slightly to find his entire being in my face. I slowly backed up to the cage and felt like a trapped animal. He was watching me, judging my every step. I then realized how close to the cage I was and jumped forward, hitting him straight in the face.

He let out a long, aggravated wail and I panicked. What was he going to do? He suddenly stopped and growled heavily at me. That wasn't a good sign. I began to apologize to him and backed up to the cage once more. The giant being in front of me began to rush forward. He was pretty fast for a man of his size and weight. I then noticed his large left arm lift and begin to swing. I had enough time to only duck. Behind me, I heard the sound of metal on metal as the cage and truck smashed into a tree. He let out a victory wail and proceeded to smash it more. I instantly looked up and felt my heart sink. Alex was still in there. All I could do was watch him pulverize it into a big ball of nothing. I fell to my knees and watched him angrily make his way towards Juliet, ready to smash that to bits too. As the ground began to shake less from Adams weight, I dragged myself to what was left of Alex's prison. I touched the smashed metal with only my fingertips but couldn't bear to touch it anymore. I fell to my knees with my head in my hands and began to sob. That wasn't the only thing Adam had smashed into nothing. I looked up and sobbed more. I was trying my hardest not to believe what I just witnessed was real but I failed. Somewhere I heard the sound of metal being crushed and two pairs of feet running out from the bushes. I then felt a hand touch me lightly on the back.

"Lucretia, it's alright, it's not your fault. You couldn't do anything, come on now…" Dustin said trying to soothe me, but I could hear his voice shake too. But I surprised myself by suddenly jumping up screaming no. They fell silent and I continued my yelling

"No, it's not alright! You don't dare tell me it's alright when you yourself know for a fact that there is not the slightest chance in hell that there is! Don't you dare tell me!"

"Lucretia, calm down, please." Dustin tried to reason but it only caused me to let out a frustrated scream. My ear shattering wail echoed throughout the forest. They were watching me break down but I didn't care. I once again fell to my knees, away from the wreckage and continued to yell. But a few minutes later, my screams faded into light sobs and Cornelius bent down towards me and put his arm around me. He pulled me into his chest and slowly rocked us back and forth, the same way Alex did the first time I had met him. It had only crushed my heart more to think of it and I screamed into Cornelius's chest. But I stopped as I heard something stir somewhere in the metal. All of us turned and looked to what was happening behind us and then I saw him. He seemed to be unaffected by what just happened to him. My tears stopped, my wails stopped, but I felt my heart come together once more. Cornelius let go of me as I stood up to make sure that I wasn't just making _him_ up. I took a small step closer as I saw Alex stand up on his own two feet and he literally took me breath away. He looked towards me, growled, and then leapt for bittersweet freedom into the bushes.

Not only had he taken my breath away, but he had also taken my crushed heart.


	19. Easing The Pain

**Chapter 19:** Easing The Pain

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

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**Authors Note: **Hah, I forgot to mention in Chapter 18 that the song that I used was "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Hah, failure lol. And as for this one, it was "My Immortal" by Evanescence. Just in case you wanted to know~ And thank you for reading by the way, it means a lot =)

Feel free to tell me the good and bad about this story, I won't bite if you do~ I must know!! xD

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Did he really just do what I thought he did? Or was this all just a bad dream? Did I just dream up Adam setting my Alex free, or did it honestly happen? I wanted to scream my frustrated sorrow away so badly, but I couldn't, I simply couldn't. I stood silently in the rain like a dead, lifeless doll. He had taken what little life I still had left in me and smashed it into a million shards of nothing. Even if he didn't intend to, it still hurt like he had. Somewhere far off into the wilds he was probably running for dear life and never thought back to Dustin, Cornelius, or me. To him, we were just a bunch of _things_ keeping him from _his_ freedom. But I was too broken to feel angry at him now. I felt deader than ever and on top of that, I felt even more alone now. Then I felt Cornelius's arm snake around mine and gently tug on it to let me know that we were going. But I didn't budge whatsoever. I was _never _going to leave this spot, even if it meant that I would have to rot away on this very spot. His tugging got a little firmer but I turned to glare at him through tear filled eyes. But to my surprise, he kindly said

"Lucretia, there's nothing here for us anymore. Nothing here for _you_, let's go. "

"You're wrong, he'll come back." I protested. I aimed to prove him wrong.

"Don't act this way, you just saw him get up and leave. I highly doubt he's goi-"

"You don't know that!" I yelled at him and he instantly shut his mouth. "You don't know that…" I whispered in a choked-out death-whisper. I directed my eyes once more to the wreckage and felt my chest grow heavy and my stomach begin to churn. What if he was right? What if Alex honestly wasn't ever going to come back? Even if he did, he wasn't the same Alex that I had fallen for. He may have looked like him on the outside, but it was the inside that counted. Without any restraint, I pulled away from Cornelius's grip and walked towards the cage. With a slow, shaking hand, I ran my fingertips across its eerie surrealness. It was confirmed, I didn't just dream this horrid nightmare up. It was real, far too real for my liking. My lips trembled and my knees buckled beneath me. I rested my forehead upon the ice-cold iron and thought of him. Behind me, I could hear both Dustin and Cornelius whisper words between each other

"Just give her some time, alright? It's hard for her, just like it is for you and I…" I heard Dustin say first

"I really wish I could, but those soldiers should be coming back any time now. I mean, there was shit going on down here that I can't even explain and it was pretty effing loud too! I don't mean to rush princess but seriously, any time now!" Cornelius threw back into Dustin's face.

"Dude, chill, you can't just rush her like this! We're dead for crying out loud! We have all the time in the world!" Dustin growled

"Not to mention the bomb they'll be setting off soon! That should get her motivated!" He practically screamed. But then I slowly got up from the muddy ground and wandered over to Cornelius. Without looking up at him, I wrapped my arms around him and he tensed up a little but I whispered quietly

"It's alright Cornelius…I know you're hurting too… you can be as angry as you want to be if that's the only way to let it out, it's ok…"

Only a few moments later I felt his arms around me and felt extra droplets fall onto my hair. For the first time, I had witnessed the softest side of Cornelius that I may ever get to experience ever again. But I wasn't going to say a word about this, I never would either. I think all Cornelius needed was just a hug and a shoulder to cry on. So I would forget my pain, just for a little bit, and supply someone else's needs for a bit. I think it would help me too, if only by a little.

We could have been standing there for three minutes, or three hours, but either way, it still felt nice. The wind was picking up a little which caused the rain to come down a little harder. Cornelius finally let go of me and whispered thank you. I didn't smile but simply nodded my head in return. Dustin had gone rather quiet as if he were off into a deep thought so I decided to not bug him until he spoke to us first. Cornelius on the other hand, spoke about other things

"Well…like I was saying, we need to hurry on out of here. They'll be setting that thing off soon and we're still hanging around. So I suggest we hurry."

"But what about everyone else up there? What about them?" I said quietly

"They have to fend for themselves Ell, we can't do anything for them. And that's if they're even still alive up there. I mean, that Adam dude seemed pretty pissed off and I wouldn't want to get in his way. So I highly doubt anyone managed to live…" He responded. I couldn't tell if he was trying to make me feel better or worse because quite frankly, he was just making it worse. Then I remembered something, my father and Mr. Gibbs were still up there. I highly doubted they would be taken out that easy, even if Adam came storming through there. And without thinking, I bolted. As always, Dustin and Cornelius protested my actions but it was too late to turn around now. I needed to make sure that my father was still living, and that Gibbs wasn't.


	20. In The Eye Of The Storm

**Chapter 20:** In The Eye Of The Storm

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

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**Authors Note:** This one is kind of gory, just so you're aware. Yes, it's lame but I tried lol. And the song "Losing You" by Dead By April goes with this one. Sorry for the bad description skills in this one!

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The sound of wind whistled past my ear as I ran for everything I had left in this broken world. I ran to make sure my father was still living and that Gibbs was dead, and even if it cost my dead life in return, I would still do it. As I ran I could hear more shouting somewhere in the distance as I passed other steel containers full of prisoners. A tinge of sorrow touched my heart but I couldn't let that get in my way now, I needed to do what I could to save my father. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me in hopes that I wasn't too late. Far off in the distance, I could hear the gunshots and screaming getting louder but what terrified me the most was the fact that the ground began to quiver. It sent a quacking shiver down the middle of my back as to what I would face when I would get there. It terrified me.

Suddenly I stopped when I saw what was going on, as far as I could see that is. I recognized the tattooed arms of my father, the female, the old man and the dark skinned one all shooting at Adam. It was like an instant replay of the first time that I had saw them, but this time it was raining and I was seeking out revenge. I took in a deep breath and scanned the area for Gibbs the best I could and saw no sign of him. Then the anger burned at my heart when I saw him trying to escape by helicopter. I growled viciously and ran straight towards him. I had a score to settle with him before I could save my father.

Quite frankly, it was easier to get to him than I thought it would. His little guard posse were too busy shooting zombies and trying to kill Adam to pay any attention to me. Even my growling didn't serve as an attention grabber as I neared and I was thankful for that. But to my surprise, someone actually saw me and began to fire in my direction screaming orders to protect Gibbs. If I were to die, I could safely say that I had at least attempted to kill Gibbs rather than to do nothing. I looked straight at the soldier trying to kill me but once again to my surprise, he screamed out in terror as something snaked around him seizing his entire upper body. I watched as other men tried to release their friend who was being crushed but all I could think of was thank you. Cornelius and Dustin had followed me into one of my craziest stunts yet and it made me feel stronger to have their aid. I could hear Dustin using his regurgitating power to summon lesser infected and use their strength in numbers. It didn't take long for other infected to rush in and overpower most of the soldiers. Once again, it made me stronger knowing the fact that I wasn't alone. They had taken care of the obstacles; it was now my turn to get the prize.

As soon as I saw him, I wanted to rip every little bit of him to shreds. Then he saw me too. He stopped his firing and his already nasty features got even scarier when his lips curled into a stomach churning smirk. Within seconds, he spoke

"So you're back, eh? I've got a score to settle with you and you're infected ass."

It didn't take someone to tell me twice to attack first. There was no way in hell that he was going to have the upper hand. Then from my stomach up, I felt my ear crushing scream leave my lips and pierce his ears. But he didn't move, nor did he flinch. What was wrong? Did I suddenly lose my powers, or what? He still had that gruesome smirk upon my face and it only got me angrier. Then he said

"I came prepared Doll, I knew you would be coming back."

He tapped his ears and I instantly realized he had put in ear plugs. I growled and the rain fell all around us. The more he stood there smirking, the more I wanted to slice every bit of him. As he aimed the gun up to shoot me, I lunged. I didn't care if he'd shoot me, atleast I was able to injure him. With my long scissor-like fingers, I began with his chest. He wailed out his pain and started to reach for his gun but I kicked it out of his reach. He screamed more as I slowly ran my claws down his soft flesh and the crimson seeped out. How long had I waited for this moment? It seemed far too long for my taste but I had finally quenched my thirst to see his blood fall to the muddy ground by my very hands. For some reason, the adrenaline had caused me to finally see normally again for the first time since I had become who I was now. I looked to my victim and finally got to see his features. He was old and I could see the detail of his wrinkles and his slicked back salt-and-pepper colored hair. His ugly features curled in pain as I continued to turn him into a bloody pile of nothing and it made me smile. It made my heart race in anticipation for more. Between gasping for air and choking on blood, he spat out

"Y-you d-demon! …y-you will…p-pay! I s-swear i-it!"

I was so tired of his pointless words that I had simply smiled at him and took my fingers to his ears. I felt for the ears plugs and pulled them. He winced in pain but then his expression changed from pain to defeat. He looked up to me, angry and bitter and whispered with blood seeping from his lips

"D-do it…k-kill me."

Then I bellowed my deafening screams feeling no remorse, pity or sorrow. I noticed his mouth open and his forehead wrinkle more. His human screams were drowned out by my demonic ones and it felt so good to do so. His eyes were losing the cruel light they once had and to finish off my victory, I took my right hand and plunged it deep into his chest. My moved my fingers around in his chest and felt the blood and bones of him. I noticed the tears mixing in with the blood as he began to fade and all I could think of was how he took my Alex away and what he did to everyone else. I made him feel the pain he made me feel and it felt so good to release it this way. I found my way to his heart and noticed how the beating slowed until it was no more. Slowly, I took my murder weapon from his chest and examined the blood upon it. The rain made it drip slowly and I looked to Gibbs. My curled lips turned into a hard line until I bent down to whisper quietly

"That's for Alex…I hope you burn in Hell…"

I hopped up from my bloody wreckage and noticed Dustin and Cornelius had watched my performance. Dustin looked proud and Cornelius looked sad. I just pushed it off as nothing and walked right by them. The adrenaline rush had wared off leaving me blind and wanting more. The rain was fading to a light drizzle but I knew there was more to come. It was only the eye of the storm. I had stopped to look up to the rain and watched the clouds swirl in the wind as the cried their sorrow onto this broken world. Without looking back to them, I spoke to Dustin and Cornelius

"I settled that score, but now I need to settle another. Just one more for him, to make it right."

They both had stayed quiet but I knew they understood. I needed to find my father as quickly as possible, so he wouldn't get killed. If he died, I don't know what I would do. But something deep inside of me told me that I couldn't save him, even if I tried. But trying could make a difference, right? I'd find out the answer sooner than I thought.


	21. Mocking Rain

**Chapter 21:** Mocking Rain

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

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**Authors Note:** Sorry for any mistakes in this one, I was sort of rushed! Please forgive me, I'll edit it later!

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The world beneath me trembled as I took small steps. I knew it wasn't me causing such a commotion for I knew it was him. He was so angry, and I could hear him bellow and snarl from a mile away. Was I crazy to go in there and face him? Yes, but I was too broken to care. I strode in with such ease that you couldn't tell that I was terrified. I could hear the gunshots and noticed my father. His group and some soldiers were busy firing at Adam and trying to get away. Behind me, I heard Cornelius and Dustin stop in their tracks to watch as well. The rain began to get harsher and I began to see less. But I knew for a fact that Adam was getting closer and closer in killing my father. I had to do something, but then I acted on a whim

"Adam! Do you remember me?"

He suddenly stopped but the firing didn't. The humans kept shooting at him as he turned around to look for me. I also heard Cornelius and Dustin saying they would back me up in case anything were to happen. I stood my ground and watched him, waiting for him. Then he bellowed as he ran straight for me but all I did was stand there. Just like he did once before, he stopped in his tracks only a few feet away from me. I could literally feel the anger role off of him as he watched me with such hatred. I almost voiced my question as to why he didn't just finish me off here. Did he recognize me in anyway, or feel any remorse as to what he did to Alex? I may never find out but I did know that he wasn't going to attack me. As surprising as it was, he tried to tell me something

"No…longer Adam." He grunted "Humans kill….humans killed…Adams Juliet."

"I know, I know…but not all of them." I tried to reason quietly

"Juliet gone!" He whined quietly "gone…"

"Why take it out on them?" I questioned quietly and touched his face lightly. That one touch made me think of much simpler day's when life wasn't so cruel. I could still hear the yelling and the fighting going on behind us but it didn't affect us. He was big enough to shield me from the spray of bullets and I was thankful. Then he replied to my question

"Humans…make Adam so angry. Angry!" He said and looked as if he were about to flatten something. Then he calmed down slightly and began to try and regain his posture. Someone was getting closer to us and he tensed. I could tell when it irritated him; it vaguely reminded me of how he used to do the same when he was still human. I felt sorry for the poor creature that would defy him. He then instantly turned around knocking someone high up into the air and followed by a hard, but silent thud. He challenged anything to come closer to him again, and then turned back to me. He surprised me by swiftly but gently picking me up. He began quiet then got louder

"Not safe…not safe…not safe!" It vaguely reminded me of King Kong they he yelled and swung his arms. Everyone was still shooting at him, thinking that I was a human in trouble. Then I noticed the way one of his arms were being strained as if being pulled by a rope. He roared loudly as if something was aggravating him and it terrified me. I was still in his grasp and I was afraid to get stomped on or something. He looked up to the tree and I did too. Cornelius was standing there using his good arm to aid him and his 'rope'. I was thankful, but absolutely horrified by the thought. Did he think that I was in trouble? I tried to shout in hopes in telling him that I wasn't but I think that only caused him to do more. I looked towards Adam and said

"Adam, put me down! He'll stop hurting you if you do!"

"Adam…helps Lou…help Lou…" He responded

"Adam, no!" I shouted as he pulled and the tongue released him. He began to run away in hopes in putting me somewhere safe. As far as I was concerned, nowhere was safe. But he continued to try anyway. People were shouting to get away and I held my breath. Soon, Adam had stopped and he was panting. I looked towards him and I noticed how he looked elsewhere. Something was coming, and he knew it. I begged for Adam to let me go but he only held me closer to the point in which I couldn't see. But I didn't need eyes to realize what, or _who_ it was. The distinctive growling informed me.

Adam tensed just like he had before when _he _crawled out of the bushes. I was lost for words when I saw Alex; it almost brought me to tears. But as far as I could tell, Alex circled him as he watched us closely like he was about to attack. I whispered for Adam to let me go but he ignored me. Alex growled as soon as I spoke and Adam held me closer, almost crushing me. Alex growled lowly and Adam grunted harshly. It was if they were talking in their own language that I could never understand. Suddenly, Adam put a protective hand in front of me as Alex snapped and snarled at him, and lunged. Alex was literally taking chunks out of him and with one clean swipe, Alex was off of him leaving Alex disoriented in a bush. Before too long, he was back on his feet getting ready for more.

The tension in the air was sickening. What had caused them to act so abruptly? I couldn't breathe let alone think about what was happening. The same thing happened over and over; Alex would attack Adam and Adam would easily throw him to the ground. It was like this for ten minutes straight. It was silent, except for the rain and their growling. Then, quietly, Adam spoke

"Lou…stays…with Adam."

Alex only growled angrily in return, protesting this idea.

"Lou stays!" He bellowed and punched the ground shaking everything around us. Suddenly, He threw me to the bushes as I heard the loudest snapping and snarling yet. Adam growled furiously and the ground continued to shake. I was too afraid to look so I hid in the bushes. The rain accompanied as I did so and I listened to everything as closed my eyes tightly and created my own rain. I wanted them to stop, so many people and creatures have died. Why did more have to die? It was senseless. Adam was just trying to protect me and so did Alex. Why did they have to fight over the same thing? I would never understand. Then suddenly, everything stopped leaving only my sobbing noises and the gentle pattern of the rain audible. Suddenly, a loud crashing noise broke the air and it was followed by the shuddering of the earth.


	22. Cuts Like A Knife

**Chapter 22:** Cuts Like A Knife

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

I didn't want to look, even if I could. But I had to sooner or later, and I tricked myself into looking. The moment I saw, I wanted to look away, runaway, or something to get away. The rain dripped lightly around me and it didn't hide my tears that well. I was on my knees when I saw Adams body just lying there. It was so, lifeless. I blinked a few times and took in a deep breath, then crawled to him. I wanted to touch him and run away from it all. I always ran away from a problem, big or small, that's what I did. But this, this was too out of hand for me that I stayed. I looked at his lifeless eyes and saw the scarlet from his body mix with the mud and rain. I choked on my tears and words as I said

"A-Adam? S-sweetie, please s-speak t-to m-me…A-Adam?"

There wasn't any response, just the sound of rain that fell all around me.

"Adam?" I whispered "N-no, d-don't leave me..."

Again, there was no response and it broke my heart. I then remembered Alex, but I didn't want to look up. I felt him come closer to me but I didn't pay attention to him. I ignored him. I didn't want to give any attention to someone who had killed another. I touched Adams body and the water flowed from my eyes. He may have been a bad boyfriend, but he was a good person at heart. The word heart reminded me of the necklace he had given me, and how I threw it away. I instantly regretted it. I clenched my fists in anger and thought about it. Alex came even closer to me and I didn't want that. I didn't want him anywhere near me, but he persisted anyway. I surprised myself by suddenly saying

"Leave me alone."

He didn't move, nor did he say anything. The silence was cruel and I began to cry again. I just wanted to be alone to say goodbye is all, and he didn't understand that. Instead, he came closer to me in which he was practically sitting on me. At first, I didn't move and stayed still like a statue. A few minutes later, I gave in and sobbed loudly. I held onto Alex, and he held onto me. He may not have been the Alex I used to know and love, but for this brief moment, I needed him. Between tears and gasping for air, I said

"All h-he wanted t-to d-do, was p-protect me…th-that's all h-he wanted, t-to do…"

In the back of my mind, I could almost hear the music playing but it was the words that counted. For a brief moment, I said

"Sleep, sugar, let your dreams flood in. Like waves of sweet fire, you're safe within…" Yet again, another one of my mother's favorites. She had a thing for Poets Of The Fall, she would always listen to them. If I could recall, that particular song was named Sleep. Quietly, I added

"Good night Adam…good night…" Silently, I let go of Alex and gave Adam on last hug before we would depart for good. I wrapped my arms around him the best I could and rested my head on his body. I closed my eyes and imagined him waking up, fine and healthy, and giving me a hug. For a moment, just a moment, I believed myself. But I reopened my eyes and see nothing but the dead figure of Adam and the rain. Before I began to cry more, I got up slowly and added

"Sleep, sweetie, let your floods come rushing in and carry you over to a new morning."

If I only had some flowers, it would make it a little easier to say goodbye. Before I could do any more damage to my heart, I left. I took in a deep breath and began to make my way towards Cornelius and Dustin. My head hung heavy, just as my feet and heart did but it was alright. No one was going to see me anyway, so why not? Behind me though, I could hear the quiet footsteps of another following me. I stopped but didn't turn around; I had a pretty good idea as to who it was. A few seconds later, I said

"Alex, please leave…"

As usual, no response and it killed me. Telling him to leave hurt, but when I got no response back, it hurt even more. I sighed heavily then continued to walk. Just like before, the quiet footsteps followed me and I did the same thing. Stop and think of something to say. Then I said

"There's nothing here for you, please go."

This time I turned around to face my companion. He was on his feet and hands like he was a dog or something. I brows furrowed and I grunted lightly. Why wasn't he listening? I glared at him through angry tears and rain then just continued to walk. I picked up my pace, and so did he. Suddenly, I turned around and yelled

"Alex, for the last time! Go away!"

It was tense after that and he just stared at me. It made me even angrier and all I wanted to do was scream. That's all I ever wanted to do now, was just scream everything away. Maybe I was fit to be a Banshee. I then noticed Alex getting closer but I picked up something and threw it at him. I missed him by only a few inches and he growled lowly at me. I dared him to do something but he didn't. He slowly began to back up and seconds later, he bolted for the trees. I watched him runaway and I simply glared at him. I turned around and headed back for Cornelius and Dustin. I could feel the warmth run down my cheeks as I did.


	23. Healing Once More

**Chapter 23**: Healing Once More

_"I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."_

_-- Roy Croft_

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**Authors Note: **You must listen to Broken by Lifehouse with this chapter! It makes it more magical (in my opinion it does xD ). DO IT!!! It's the last and final chapter by the way. It's magical...Anyway, care to review and tell me how you liked this story? Thanks xx

**ENJOY!!**

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I wiped my eyes as I saw the shapes of Dustin and Cornelius begin to form. Even if they saw my tears, I would blame it solely on the rain. I took in a long, deep breath then continued my way to them. Cornelius looked at me and said quietly

"Lucretia, there you are. We thought you were dead for good."

The word dead hung in the tense air. I looked at him, then down to the ground and thought of something to say. Dustin coughed quietly then I spoke up

"No, I'm not dead…"

"Well, we better getting going." He responded and began to walk. He was right; we couldn't waste away here anymore. We needed to evade the bomb and head to New Orleans. I picked up my dead feet and began to move alongside Cornelius like a dead doll with its master. Dustin did the same as well. It was down to only three for good, the emptiness was wrong.

As we walked in silence, I thought of many things. What would we expect when we got there? Would we be expecting more soldiers and guns, or maybe even some new infected? New infected was far worse than any soldier and his gun. It was their territory and we were invading. I blinked a few times and thought about that. Us, invading? We grew more and more like animals every day. I laughed slightly but it was just enough to catch Dustin's and Cornelius's attentions. They both turned to look at me and I looked at them. Then I answered

"We truly are like animals, aren't we?"

"Yes, yes we are." Cornelius concluded in a mere second

"We're losing our humanity every second…" I said quietly and caused the air to be sucked away.

"Lucretia, we can fight this, don't give up. That's what's making us lose this fight, we give up too easily." Dustin said, suddenly angry. Cornelius and I both looked at our friend for an answer as to why he turned this way. He looked at us, bewildered and added

"Look at Alex, he was sane before we left him. He must have given up, right?"

"You don't know that or sure." I answered but cut off

"And Adam? He didn't speak before, did he? He was trying to get through to us. He wanted us to know why he was so angry. He wanted us to see through his eyes about the situation!"

"He does have a point, Ell." Cornelius agreed leaving me alone with the facts. Dustin might have been right, I mean, it did add up. It was our closest explanation to all of this and it made me feel a little better. Seeing through his eyes. Was that all he wanted for us to know? To know that he loved Juliet and it angered him when they killed her? Then we suddenly stopped upon hearing a voice behind us. It chilled me to the bone when I recognized it

"Lucretia, he's right. All he wanted was for you to know that he wanted both you and Juliet safe. He lost one but didn't want to lose the either. He just wanted to protect you."

I turned around upon hearing my name. I came face to face with Alex as he stood up. It couldn't have been possible, he was no longer himself. I stared at him, confused and full of questions. I was about to say something until his lips met mine. The cold iron taste was everywhere on him but I didn't care, I was thankful that it was him. Cold tears pricked my eyes but he simply wiped them away by putting both his icy hands on my cheeks. Everything about him was chilling but it warmed my dead heart to know that he was safe. I tasted every bit of his lips as we kissed and it felt marvelous. Then he broke it off leaving me wanting more. More tears brewed as he spoke

"I want you safe too. And the only way I know that you're safe, is if I'm there with you."

"A-Alex." I whispered "I thought you were…"

"Gone? No, simply out of my mind." He said with that glorious smile upon his lips. My lips trembled from holding back tears and sobs as he smiled at me. Tears began to drip from my eyes and he simply put my head to his chest to comfort me. Behind me, I could tell that both of the others were just as amazed and full of questions but left us alone. I breathed in his scent and my heart skipped beats. Quietly, into his chest, I whispered

"Alex…I love you…"

"I love you too…." He whispered into my hair.

"Don't ever leave me again, alright?" I said and looked up to him.

"I promise." He said and brushed away both tears and strands of my brown hair to look into my eyes. He kissed me once more and I then remembered something. As much as I didn't want to break away, I did. He looked at me and I asked

"Alex, what happened to you?"

"It's hard to explain sweetheart, but I'll try my best to. Do you remember when you found out that I turned Adam the first time?"

"Yes?" I answered, not quite following

"Well, like I said, I was literally out of my mind. It's like I have a split personality. Good, bad. Humane, insane. Two sides of a coin, you know?"

"I take it that was your bad side?"

"Exactly. I mean, I'm quite aware of what's going on when I'm like that, it's just I can't do anything about it until I'm strong enough to pull through it. You see, when you left me Lucretia, I gave up and let him have me both mind and body. But when I kept following you, you gave me the strength to fight him. You made me, me again."

"See, I knew it." Cornelius said and Dustin hushed him. For the first time in ages, I laughed. From the bottom of my heart, I actually laughed. My tears were no longer sad ones, but honest to God happy ones. God must have forgiven me and gave me my angel back. And even though I didn't have a heart anymore, Alex gave me the beat to it again. I looked into his eyes and we kissed once more. We wrapped our arms around one another and the rain drizzled lightly. The sun must have been coming back because it began to get lighter. Moments later, I once again broke it off and said

"May I ask you something?"

"Anything." He said happily

"Can I name your other…self? So I know when you're him?"

"Certainly, just depends on what you're naming it. I don't want to be called Kitty while I'm like that…I wouldn't take myself seriously…" He answered and I laughed happily.

"No, no, don't worry. I have a name picked out…"

"And that is?"

"Alec. You know, like Alex but with a C. It seems so…devilish." I answered and touched his cheek

"So I'm not devilish already?" He pouted

"Yes, you are but he's evil-devilish."

"You're just making it worse now…" I simply laughed and kissed him. It felt so nice to get my Alex back. I would have to love him and Alec both, but I wouldn't mind, as long as he was still in there. I rested my forehead against his and simply enjoyed the moment together before we walked all the way towards New Orleans. Just before we went, we shared one more kiss together and answered all of our questions for one another. As we began another long journey, but together till the end this time, we held hands and vowed to never leave the other. He would be the only person that I would ever love and risk my life for. He would be the only one that would have my heart forever.


	24. Important

Okay, as you know, Through Dead Eyes is finished. It's sad, I know and I'm sorry. But, I have some good news! It's not the end for the series! I've already started the next part and it's called Breaking Dead Hearts. Lame, I know, but that's what you get when you suck at naming things xD

Any who, I just wanted to let you know so you will read it. But you must also know, it doesn't take place in Lucretia's point of view anymore. I've moved on to a new character named Odie Harlow (Rozen Odette-Marie Harlow is her full name. Rozen is pronounced as Raw-Zen lol). I know that will make some of you sad, because it made me sad, but I put everyone from Through Dead Eyes into this new story. Well, Cornelius, Dustin, Alex and Lucretia that is. And I've made a whole bunch of new characters for it too, yay! Well, just so you're aware that there is another to this so you can find out what happens next. Anyway, here's a song list for all the chapters in Through Dead Eyes in case you were wondering what some were. Thanks for reading!!

**Chapter 1**: No song

**Chapter 2:** No song

**Chapter 3:** No song

**Chapter 4:** No song

**Chapter 5: **No song

**Chapter 6:** No song

**Chapter 7:** Give You My All by Eyes Set To Kill

**Chapter 8: **No Sound But The Wind by The Editors

**Chapter 9:** My Skin by Natalie Merchant

**Chapter 10:** Road To Nowhere by Bullet For My Valentine

**Chapter 11:** No song

**Chapter 12:** Heron Blue by Sun Kil Moon

**Chapter 13:** I'll Keep Your Memory Vague by Finger Eleven

**Chapter 14:** Someone Special by Poets Of The Fall

**Chapter 15: **No song

**Chapter 16: **For Blue Skies by Strays Don't Sleep

**Chapter 17: **Forgive Me by Evanescence

**Chapter 18:** Your Guardian angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

**Chapter 19: **My Immortal by Evanescence

**Chapter 20:** Losing You by Dead by April

**Chapter 21:** Near To You by A Fine Frenzy

**Chapter 22:** Like A Knife by Secondhand Serenade

**Chapter 23:** Broken by Lifehouse

Well, there it is for you, all of the songs that I used. Some are rather, depressing, but where do you think I came up with such sad chapters? xD

_All songs belong to the artists that had amazing talent to create them. I do not own them._

_Left 4 Dead belongs to Valve. I do not own it_.

Well, thank you for reading. Hopefully you'll enjoy the next part, see you then~


	25. QUESTION!

**WHOA!**

**RANDOM QUESTION!**

If I were to rewrite this, would anybody read it again? I've been thinking about it for a very long time and I just needed to be sure before doing so. Sometimes I read this story over again and I think "Man, this had potential but look at this fail writing XD"

People also may be wondering what happened to the second part [Breaking Dead Hearts]. I deleted that BS because I honestly didn't know where it was going.

If I were to go ahead commence the writing, I would update/add some things.

- Give L a little more of a personality.

- I may add one more character [maybe depending on how I feel]

- I will probably add a few extra things to lengthen the chapters. Stuff like more character back story, personality development, etc.

Those are only three things at this point and I will probably think of more things to do. I dunno, if you want something added, or perhaps you have an idea, let me know via PM or review! Also, if I get at least ten reviews saying yes, I will do it :)


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